Starting Over
by bellaanddean
Summary: Set after Edward leaves in NM. Angry at the world she becomes a hunter, to take away the feeling of pain. When Sam and Dean call about a case in Washington can she take it? Or is Edward still in her heart?
1. Chapter 1

**This is set after Edward leaves Bella in ****New Moon****. Instead of Bella becoming weak and sad during this time, she grows up and becomes a stronger woman. Angry at the world she becomes a hunter to take away the feeling of pain every time she thinks of Edward.**

Even after four years I still couldn't say his name. It was an inexcusable thing to even be thinking about him. I had been weak then, holding on to him until he had let me go, because I wasn't good enough.

I joined Sam and Dean two years ago in tracking down the demons and monsters that plagued our world. I had learned my hunting skills from them after I left Charlie back in Forks. He would never have understood what He had done to me. Instead, Charlie had died two years ago, from an alleged heart attack, at the same time I had joined up with the brothers. I had been too afraid to go back for his funeral. I had been too afraid of who I might have seen there. No one had known what had happened to me after He had left me there, alone in the woods. I ran away, and almost died from a stray vampire only to be saved by Dean and Sam.

Lately, I had been working on my own; hunting at a distance from Dean and Sam to be by myself. They were both great company, treating me like a younger sister, but I couldn't handle being around that feeling for too long. It reminded me of His family and the way they had treated me. I hardly wanted to be treated like that, even now.

Opening the hotel door, I threw down my car keys. It had been another good hunt, I smiled grimly.

I needed a shower to get rid of the grime left from this past demon. Of course my phone had to vibrate at the moment of getting ready for a long, hot, steamy shower. It always seemed to be my luck lately.

"Hello Isabella Swan," I answered exasperated.

"Bella!" Sam yelled into my ear.

I smiled even though Sam couldn't see it, hearing his voice made me feel infinitely better. The hunt, although it had gone well had been a hard hunt.

"Hi Sam, what's up?" In the background I could hear the Impala's engine revving as Dean peeled out.

"We need your help for a hunt. It's up in Washington."

"Huh," my jaw dropped. "Going back to Washington? Hmmm. I'll have to think about it. Where are you guys now?" I frowned. Washington was vampire central. The area I had been avoiding for years after thinking I would see Him around every corner.

"We're heading towards you; Bobby gave us your last location. So say yes, all right?"

I exhaled sharply. So much for possibly saying no to these guys. "Fine," I muttered. "Just tell me about it when you get here." I gave them the location of my hotel and hung up. Now, I would need to take a really long shower to help massage away the worries that were beginning to grow on my shoulders.

What a great way of starting off what was supposed to be a good few days of rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had finally been able to take a three hour nap before my door was almost knocked to the ground by loud pounding. Jumping out of my bed I grabbed my hand gun hidden beneath my pillow taking the safety off before I stalked towards the door. Another loud pound struck the door causing the hinges to squeak as I peered through the peephole.

Putting the safety back on and setting it on the night stand I flung open the door to confront the noise maker. Or should I say noise makers. "Guys!" I screamed, jumping unexpectedly into Dean's arms. His face tried to hide his surprise but I saw his eyes pop open, a crooked smile stretch across his face and the twinkle that I hadn't seen in months pop into his eye. It was dull, but still visible. He hadn't been smiling much, I could tell.

Sam was still as lively as ever as I bounded into his arms. He looked a bit older, but not as old as I was beginning to feel lately. The hunts without their help had been taking their toll on me. "Hi," I said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. I wasn't as shy as I had once been. Becoming a hunter had changed that. No longer was I insecure and unable to see myself clearly. All those years of thinking I was plain had disappeared after all the hoots and hollers from bar patrons.

"Trying to knock down the door?" I asked, staring the accused down. Dean sheepishly scratched his head, looking down as he murmured an apology.

Pulling them inside I searched the parking lot before closing and locking the door. "So what's the case?" I asked, leaning against the door.

Sam and Dean both crossed their arms, trying to give me the intimidating look that meant business.

"What?" I asked, walking towards my bed, they had seen me in my pajamas before. Of course they had never approved of me sleeping in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt, but I still wore my shorts and a cami.

Grabbing my duffel bag off the floor I plopped it on the bed and began to stuff clothes in it. I had always been horrible at packing; it brought back old memories of that one time- I wasn't going to think back to that. That's why I usually rushed through the job, forgetting clothes, leaving hygiene products behind, all to not remember the time of Him. This was my way with not coping with things: pack up and leave.

"Bobby says you know some vampires up there who could help us," Sam said, pulling out a tattered article from his back pocket. That stopped me dead in my tracks. I had hoped to avoid going on this trip with them even after saying yes. The article was entitled: Serial Killer still on the loose.

So I evaded the question. "Let me see," I asked, holding out my hand to read what else it would say. Already I had a feeling a lone vampire was responsible, but I didn't know what else to think. Scanning the article I knew my suspicions were correct.

"Great," I muttered, tossing the article back to Sam. I threw my still unfinished duffel on the floor before catching Dean leaning against the dresser, waiting.

"It's a vampire, isn't it?" he asked, curious.

"Yep. Just one though, and it seems to either be making more or just asking for a death wish," I replied, looking him dead in the eye. He was beginning to grow bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. "Hey, you guys need to crash or something?" I asked, looking back at the both of them more closely.

Sam's smile was drawn on tightly, trying to hide the strain of his unusual gift that had been plaguing him lately. Bobby had told me Sam was getting worried about how it was becoming a curse after discovering who had given it to him. I couldn't necessarily blame him either.

Dean looked tired and drawn, barely holding it together, by my guess, for Sam. It looked like both of them had been up for forty hours or more and both were beginning to have a hard time keeping their eyes open.

Sam opened his mouth to deny a rest, but I held up my hand. "That would be a yes," I replied for them. "Look you guys need some rest first before we take this on. So go sleep and let me go eat and get ready and then we can go, all right?" Luckily, the only room that had been available in this flea dump hotel had been a room with two doubles. The comforter and mattress weren't great; in fact both of them hurt my back, but after a hard day of demon hunting it was worth it to fall asleep lying down instead of standing up.

Dean began to protest, opening his mouth to object being taken care of. Before he could get a word in edgewise I stepped forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. "No." I said staring into his emerald eyes. "Bed now." I half pulled, half dragged him to the bed I had been sleeping in before I looked up to see Sam, smiling to himself until he caught me staring.

"Sam," I stated, pointing to the other bed.

"Fine. A few hours wouldn't be so bad," he replied before letting out a long yawn. He trudged over to the bed, dropping head first into the stony mattress. He would be out like a light; it was Dean who would need the persuading.

"You know I don't need to be babied," Dean sighed. He would have tried to argue for us all to continue, but it would have to wait. I pushed him back onto the bed with both hands. "Fine!" he grinned, his head on the mattress as I loomed over him.

"Seriously," I said looking back and forth between them, "take a nap. For me?" I asked, bringing out my bottom lip for a pout. The Winchester boys had told me to always play the part to get what needed to be done done and I certainly wasn't going to have either of them getting hurt because they were too idiotic to take a little bit of time to sleep.

Sam didn't answer except for a snore heard through the sheets, leaving me with a slowly falling asleep Dean.

"Sure," he said, "but could you do something for me?"

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Don't leave, ok? Sam has nightmares lately and someone's gotta wake him up and make sure he's all right," Dean mumbled, his eyes finally closing for good.

"Sure I'll stay," I whispered, pushing his hair back from his face. His breathing began to slow as I watched his face grow youthful again. Here was the Dean who had rescued me a few years ago, the one I felt was my savior after so many bad things had happened to me.

Moving in his sleep he flung his arm over the bed. I sighed, ceasing to look at his face. I had missed them both; they had become my only friends after leaving Forks. Slowly I crept into Dean's arms; missing the feeling of someone I loved holding me close. I hadn't been around a guy in years. Even in the bars I frequented for work I never went home with a guy. Guys were untrustworthy and only wanted to use you and throw you away.

Dean and Sam were different, and I knew I could trust them after they had saved my hide a number of times.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath through my nose as Dean cuddled up next to me, throwing his other arm around me to hold me tight, as he pulled me closer to his taunt chest. We had always been good bedmates, even if I did cramp his style. This was the comfort I needed, I thought, as I drifted off to sleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up feeling relaxed. Dean and Sam were both still asleep as I gently lifted Dean's arm off me. They would still sleep for another few hours and another shower wouldn't hurt. I placed Dean's arm back in place and tiptoed into the bathroom. My toiletries were still in the shower. I hadn't gotten to them yet, but hopefully I would remember to bring them along this time.

The hot water didn't last as long as I wanted, but it did the trick to relax me as much as I was capable of these days. Dean of course had helped me sleep another good two hours to a gross total of six. More than I had gotten in a few days, I sighed. I would be just as tense when we entered the state limits of Washington.

Putting on my lacy bra and underwear I heard someone move out there. Opening the door as quietly as I could I spotted Sam twisting and turning, his face contorted in pain. He was beginning to mumble something before I hurried over to his bed and firmly shook his shoulder. His eyes broke open, gasping for air as he sat up. Dean, the lighter of the sleepers, woke up hearing Sam breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" he said, rushing over to where I stood, putting his hands on his shoulders, like the protective older brother he was.

"It's gotten another person," Sam cried, punching his hands into his face as he left them in his lap. "I could see that person. I felt their fear," his voice cracking with disbelief.

His powers had indeed been getting stronger. Bobby had been right. Dean glanced up from Sam, his arms falling to his sides. "We better get this son of a bitch."

"I'll go get dressed," I mumbled, trying discreetly to get back into the bathroom, hoping neither would notice my lack of clothes. I wasn't as shy as when I was younger, but I still didn't want them to see me dressed in less than a bathing suit.

Sam hardly moved. His face was so distraught with feeling the pain and terror of that person. Dean looked over at me saying, "Yeah. We have a hunt." No smirk appeared and I realized that this was serious. Dean always joked about what I was wearing, especially when he considered me a sister…

I scampered back into the bathroom, bolting the door as I thought of Sam and Dean's faces. There was no more spark in either of their eyes. Even when on the job they had smiled, joked a few times, but with the visions only getting worse it seemed to be sucking up all their happiness.

Looking at myself I hoped no one would recognize me. It was true that my hair was still a lovely wavy brown that I had cut short to my shoulders. It was easier to keep it up and out of enemies' hands this way. My body was completely toned from training and battles. Usually when I stopped I would run five, six miles a day to keep my body in shape. Today would not be a day for a run.

It bothered me a little that Dean didn't notice what I was wearing or made a remark. He had done that quite a bit when we had worked the job together. He would always say life was a lot easier without a girl to work with because they were simply a nuisance, or I should wear more clothes because I was a distraction in skimpy clothes.

Although he couldn't really talk. When a job was finished he would go out partying, have a beer or two at a bar we were near and come back, have his shirt off so I could feel his hard body behind me, snaking his arm around my waist as I pretended to sleep. At that time Sam would have been back an hour or so before, tipsy and already snoring up a storm. When the hunt was over I would think I'd fall down dead and sleep for hours, but it wasn't until I felt Dean's arm around my waist that I felt comfortable enough to drop down into a dreamless sleep.

Pulling on some jeans and a long sleeve shirt, I popped open the lock and walked out. My hair was still wet, but I combed it back into a tight pony tail. One day my hair would naturally have a wave in it from it being up so much, but for now I hardly cared. Grabbing my stuff from the shower I threw it in the bag. A few tank tops would get wet, but it was hardly the end of the world. Besides, I wouldn't need a tank top in Washington, this or any time of the year. Zipping it shut I swung the bag over my shoulder and shut the door behind me.

Dean and Sam were out at the car, prepping for the trip as I came towards them. I had hitched a ride into town since my truck was still probably sitting in front of someone's house, a scrap of metal that reminded me of Charlie.

"Ready?" Dean's gruff voice shook me from my reservoir of memories.

"Yeah," I said, throwing my duffel on top of the hidden armory. My gun was in the bag as well as a bible and salt pellets. Keeping life light had kept me from being bogged down lately. I hopped into the back seat of the Impala, leaving the front seat for Sam as was customary. It didn't really bother me, my legs were shorter and sitting in the back I could lie down and take a nap if needed.

"Then let's get this show on the road," Dean replied, reversing the car and slamming it into drive.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The ride was quiet as we left Arizona. This is where it all had started, my journey to who I was now. Mom was still alive and living in Jacksonville with Phil. I guessed she was happy; I hadn't tried to contact her since a month into losing what I guess you could say was my sanity. That was simply a phone call to hear her voice, even then she had sounded frazzled from not knowing what had happened to me, but when I heard Phil behind her on the phone I knew she was ok. She would pull through this with his help.

Dean had put on the radio five minutes into the ride. He had always hated the quiet that accompanied a hunt. Instead of there being excitement and anticipation like usual I simply felt worry and fear at the thought of going back. I had never wanted to cross into the state, let alone go near it. Staying in the south had given me purpose and vitality that I hadn't felt in the north after He had left.

Staring out the windshield I caught the site of a sign stating I would soon be in my destination. Looking around, I saw Sam sleeping, his mouth hanging open as a trail of drool slid down his chin. At least he was sleeping peacefully. His body was holding no tension compared to how I felt at this moment. What I wouldn't give to go to Mexico instead. Sighing, I turned my gaze to Dean, who was staring straight back at me through the rearview mirror.

"You don't want to do this do you?" he asked, his voice hoarse from not speaking for a few hours.

I shook my head in response, my eyes never leaving the mirror while I saw his eyes crinkle.

"Yeah, I thought not. You wanna get something to eat at least? I bet you're hungry."

It was true; my stomach had been tightening into a fist the whole ride, from fear, butterflies, and being unfed for more than fifteen hours. "Sure, Dean," I said. I would need all my energy for this next hunt. Dealing with a vampire took a lot out of me even if I denied it later.

Dean pulled off the exit ramp and discovered a small diner a few miles away from the highway. They were always good at that- finding the small obscure, mom and pop diners. The food was just greasy enough that I was disgusted, but not enough that I wouldn't stuff it in my mouth.

Pulling into one of the spots Dean turned off the engine. I was just reaching out my hand to grasp Sam's shoulder when Dean stopped me, grabbing my hand in midair.

"Let him sleep for a few minutes. You and I need to talk," he said, holding my hand as he pushed his seat forward to let me out. Helping me out of the car he closed the door gently, still hiding my hand in his. We went to the back of the car, leaning against the bumper so Dean could say what he needed to. Sam wouldn't hear us unless he moved; causing the car to sway which would alert us that he was awake.

"What's up?" I asked, playing with his fingers. There had always been a casual flirtation between us that had never amounted to anything more. It couldn't possibly become something now that we had been apart for as long as we had.

"You never told me why you hate Washington. I need to know why. Why did you want to join this life anyway? It holds nothing but pain."

I gulped, my skin losing its small amount of pigment as I thought of how to answer his question. They have never wondered before, never asked questions that would have hurt me.

"Why are you asking me this now?" I asked, trying to avoid answering his question. A good defense might possibly beat his offense. I smiled timidly, I had always hated sports being as uncoordinated as I was, but somehow I had made it into the biggest sport I possibly could and hadn't died yet.

"You've never wanted to back down from a mission before. I saw your face when we were talking about going to Washington over a rouge vampire. You're as pale then as you are now. Why Bella, tell me." He held my hand tighter, using my hand as leverage to pull me closer to his side, to rest my hip against his.

"My-" soul mate sounded flimsy in my mind, and quickly I strained not to think of the face that would still be the same even today, "boyfriend, I guess that's what you could call him, dumped me, left me broken. I ran away from home to avoid everything that reminded me of him. He wasn't human." A tear slipped down my face, making my lips quiver as I held in the thought of Him.

Why had I decided to hunt? I didn't know what more I could say to answer his question. I certainly didn't know why I picked the path of a hunter. Perhaps it was because I wanted to take out my pain and frustration against guys like Him, make them feel the pain He had made me feel. Perhaps it was because I wanted to do good, rid the world of an evil that should have never been. Even He thought He didn't deserve to be, so why not put them all out of their misery?

"I'm so sorry," Dean whispered, pulling me into a hug as he kissed my head before burying his face in my hair. I bit my lip to hold in the sob trying to escape my lips as I fought back the rest of the tears. Hunters didn't cry. I had always come to believe that. We were meant to be strong and stay tough even when we felt like we were drowning in pain.

"I'm fine," I replied curtly, pushing myself back from him. He caught me though. He knew I was lying to his face. Gripping me by the shoulders Dean looked into my eyes, he saw the pain I was in for remembering Him.

"You know you don't always have to be so tough when I'm around. Remember? I promised I would always take care of you. If you ever needed help or a shoulder I told you I would always be there for you." His voice dropped, turning raspy again as we both thought back to when we had first met.

_I had been wondering around in Seattle for almost a week when Laurent found me. It seemed that wherever I went danger would follow. I had laughed as Laurent calmly walked toward me on the busy street. It hardly mattered that twenty people might see us together. No one knew who I was, no one knew what he was, I could be dead in a second and no one would realize it until I was lying there on the street. _

"_Hello Bella," Laurent gently said, putting his arm around me as he directed us towards a dark alley a few feet away. I hadn't tried to fight, there was no resistance against a vampire I had thought. "I didn't mean to ever see you again, but while passing through Victoria caught me and begged a favor. I simply couldn't refuse, knowing that you were all alone. It wasn't particularly hard to find you either, although I must say, Victoria could have done this herself. Where is your dear Edward anyway?" _

_Pulling me sullenly into the darkened strip, he pushed me against the brick wall, both hands straddling my head. _

_With no will to fight I whimpered, "He's gone," with tears pooling in my eyes. _

"_I'm so sorry my dear. Let me take the pain away," he answered my heartache as a torrent of tears fell down my face. I didn't particularly want to die, but without Edward I felt dead already, it hardly would matter anyway. No one else would mourn me; most people already thought I was dead. _

_I heard a rustling behind Laurent as he bent over to bite into my neck. That had been it then. Somehow Laurent simply wasn't there anymore. Instead, a pile of his limbs were in front of me as Dean and Sam stared down at the mess. They had saved my life, but I didn't want it. Instead I had grabbed theirs, using it as the buoy it was to stay afloat in this crazy world. _

_They had been confused when I wasn't upset at the mess in front of me. I had stated they needed to burn the pieces to stop him from resurrecting again which intrigued them as to how I could know this information. I followed them, learned from them, trained with them, and became friends with them._

"Thanks Dean," I replied, standing on my tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. He made the slightest movement and startled I didn't realize until it was too late when my lips landed on his mouth. I tried to give him a peck, but feeling the spark I hadn't felt in years I continued to push my lips on his, relieved when he began to kiss me back. It had been longer than forever to feel this type of passion, this need for something that had been missing in my life. My heart was racing as I threw my arms over his neck, pulling him closer to me as he brought his broad hands to the small of my back to press me all that much closer to him.

Gasping I stepped back. His face was one of shock as we both stood there, neither of us knowing what to do.

Luckily, Sam transferred his weight in the Impala, reminding us that he was still in there and hopefully was waking up. Turning quickly I walked over to the passenger side in order to see Sam roll over and blink sporadically at the bright light coming in. Dean had already walked off, into the diner, leaving me to get Sam up.

"Come on," I huffed, opening the door to let Sam out. This trip was going exactly as I had planned. First, I get to go to Seattle, right near the town of Forks, the town I hadn't visited in years, and now I got to kiss Dean and feel something for it. This was really turning into my private hell.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dinner was a quiet affair. The diner had only a few patrons sitting in the expansive room. Hopefully it was full on busier nights than this.

Sam was still exhausted from sleeping only a few more hours in the car and Dean and I hardly felt the need to fill the quiet void. It wouldn't make sense anyway. What would we talk about? The only thing on our minds was the kiss anyway. The kiss. We simply weren't going to go there; I shook my head to dispel the thought of it. The memory of his tongue passing across my lips, asking for entrance. The feel of his strong hands- I got up, and walked swiftly into the bathroom.

My heart rate had accelerated in the few moments I had lingered on that thought. Stopping in front of the foggy mirror I stared at my face. My cheeks were flushed a dark rouge, something that hadn't occurred since Him, my breath coming out in harsh gasps. I leaned over the sink, breathing raggedly into the bowl, trying to collect myself. Turning on the faucet I cupped the cold water into my hands, splashing my face to jolt myself back into reality.

"Who cares?" I murmured. He kisses his clients, suspects, anybody, all the time. As long as they're hot, he'll make out with them, have sex with them. It's just natural that I would be attracted to his magnetism, I hadn't been around guys in so long and I certainly hadn't been attracted to any of them.

Until now. The waitress who had been waiting on all of the tables walked into the bathroom at that moment. Seeing me she stopped, her over made up eyes flashing to my face, thinking she perhaps should reconsider, come back later, but instead pushed open the stall, humming to herself the whole time. I recognized the tune, it was one of the few songs I had heard recently on the radio, Spears, I thought, something along the lines of Womanizing. That was Dean for ya. I'd have to keep my distance for awhile to stop anything from happening, but we'd be in Seattle tomorrow and either we'd stop for the night somewhere in a few hours or we'd stop there. I would have to ask for a separate room, spend the money I didn't actually have just to get away. The boys would think it strange and it certainly wouldn't help our strategies, but I would have to have another room.

The waitress had flushed by the time I had come to this conclusion, pulling me out of this revere. Pushing open the door I walked out, sat down next to Sam and continued to chow down on my roast and mashed potatoes. Sam turned his head towards me, giving a quizzical eyebrow raise, but I ignored him, just forcing more food down my throat.

We left quickly after I had finished eating. Sam paid, using a dubious credit card, leaving the waitress a generous tip that would never really be hers and left. I sauntered down the steps, getting to the bottom step before I tripped, into Dean's back.

He turned around, feeling the pressure on his back, giving me a look of concern. Usually, they never saw me have a misstep. I had taken so much energy into avoiding collisions and never being my clumsy self that the second I put my energy into thinking of something else I turn back into the old, clumsy Bella.

"Sorry," I mumble, as he helped me stand up properly, his hands on my waist, holding them there until he was perfectly sure I'd regained my balance. He nodded, turned back around and headed towards the driver's side.

"Why don't you let me drive?" Sam asked, after catching our little display on the stairs. He smirked privately, contemplating some hidden knowledge. "I mean, I slept on the way to here, it'll just be a few hours." Even after being away for months I knew the routine. Sam would beg to drive, Dean would give in after complaining and threatening Sam about his precious Impala, and then Dean would take a nap. Most times the plan didn't always work, and Dean would claim he wasn't tired, but today he simply threw the keys to Sam.

Sam walked behind the car, leaving me on the passenger side waiting to get in as Dean came around to my side which put us in close proximity before Sam finally decided to unlock the car. I can't say anything rude to Sam about his taking so long because he'll figure something is up, not like I don't suspect he already has an idea, so I hold my breath, grab the handle and pull. Almost hitting Dean in the groin.

"Whoa there Bells, watch where you're trying to hit." I glance up, checking his green eyes to make sure I'm forgiven and get into the back again. Something is seriously up with me if I'm losing my concentration. It's never happened before; of course I haven't had a crush in years before either.

The leather squishes under me like a water mattress and I realize I'm tired again. Sitting in a car for hours on end usually makes me anxious to get out again and stretch, run, but I'm avoiding the thing I most dread. So, I'm compensating by sleeping. Sliding down in the seat, I get into a comfortable sleeping position, using my arm as a pillow. Sleep wants to drag me down, help me forget what I'm doing, what I did. It's not as comfy as I would imagine sleeping with Dean would be- .

"I won't go there," I mumble, seeing Dean look into the passenger mirror at me, his eyes questioning the comment as I force my eyes closed. "No."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I wake up to discover it's around midnight and we're still driving. Sam has found some classical music on, which means only one thing: Dean is asleep. While working with them I figured it helped Sam to listen to this music. His curse or powers lessened with the music, it seemed to sooth him, if only temporary.

"How much longer?" I yawned, sitting up finally. I'd created a crick in my neck from sleeping on my arm. Rubbing my neck with my other arm I tried to free the tension, even after all the years of hunting I still liked to be as loose as possible.

"A couple more hours," Sam replied.

"Ok," I said, leaning my head back. There wasn't much else I could do while I waited for our journey to come to a close.

"Bella are you ok with doing this?"

"Yeah, why not?" I mean as long as I stayed with them and didn't come into any contact with the people I didn't want to see, I would be fine.

"There was something neither of us told you about why we're on this hunt. Those vampires we asked you about earlier? Yeah, we're going to need their help. That was the reason you were asked along. I mean I know you're a good hunter, but we need help on this one. They could be growing an army and we'll need as much help as we can get."

I waited quietly, my anger expanding in my chest as his little spiel continued. Finally, after seconds of silence I found my resolve. "Let me out." My voice chilled as I caught and held his eye in the rearview mirror.

"Bella, you'll be fine. I mean I know we should have told you-"

"Sam! Let me out of this damn car! I can't go with you. I can't help you!" Dean was startled awake as I continued to scream behind him. I had always kept my cool in most situations, neither Sam nor Dean had seen me freak like this.

"Dude what's going on?" Dean asked his voice raspy from sleeping. I pushed on his chair, pissed out of my mind. I was being help prisoner, tricked into the one thing I'd never be able to handle.

"What? You weren't going to tell me, Dean? Gonna keep it some big secret until I got to fucking Forks and then 'oh hey, you need to talk to your ex?' Go fucking die! Both of you! Pull over." I was out of my mind crazy. He had hurt me so much. Dean was obviously no better, neither was Sam. Punching the back of their seats I waited, fuming as Sam pulled the car over.

It took him longer than necessary to get out of the seat, pull it forward and let me out. As soon as he did I was flying, flying back to the way I had come, running as hard as I could. Tears streamed down my face. No way were they going to make me face Him. Not after what He had done to me. What if they weren't there anyway? They had left, gone to Los Angeles, or that's what I had always come to believe.

"Bella!" I heard Sam yell from a distance.

"No!" I screamed, running on the blacktop, my feet pounding into the ground. My legs would burn quick enough from not warming up or stretching. Headlights came towards me, speeding quickly at me, but I didn't swerve, they would. I wanted to get hit. I had been tricked and treated badly too many times in these few short years. The lights only kept coming. They don't see me, I thought, as the car came barreling at me, reminding me of a van that had nearly crushed me years ago. This was going to be the end. I was going to die by a hit and run like all those years ago. I should have died then, instead I had been stuck in this limbo. It was the last thing I thought before the headlights blinded me.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Out of nowhere I felt hands around my waist, pulling me out of the way as the lights barely flashed past me, knocking me towards the ground with a body covering mine. The music blared for a second before fading away into the distance. Gasping for breath the scene became one of my nightmares, thinking it was His face.

"No," I whimpered, crying until my sight cleared and Dean came into view. He lay on top of me, breathing raggedly as I continued to cry publicly, not hiding my fear. Dean placed his hands on either side of my face, wiping away the trickles, staring at me, waiting for me to get myself together. I heaved a few more wet gasps and finally stopped. He rolled off me then, sitting up, only to pull me into his lap where he cradled me for a long time.

Sam had jogged up to us by that point, but remained silent. Waiting. They would want to know why I had run. I had never revealed the full reasoning behind everything. More tears fell down my face as I buried myself into Dean's shirt, his warmth comforting me as he held me, murmuring into my hair that everything was all right.

Finally, I was able to pull myself together to lean back and look at them both warily. "You don't know why I don't want to see those vampires. At least," I sniffled, "not the full reason." I told them then. I told them all about Him, using his name as little as possible, while Dean rubbed my back. They couldn't fully comprehend my pain, but they could understand what it felt like not to be good enough. I knew Dean knew, I could see it in his somber eyes that were downcast at the end of my sad story. Sam had been through worse than any of us, but yet he was still willing to feel sympathy.

"He's not worth dying over," Dean muttered when I had finally finished my story. I glanced down at my intertwined hands.

"He was to me." It was the truth. I had wanted to die when he had left. Sure, I hadn't gone out of my way to find Laurent, or to get hit by a car, but I had certainly picked a profession that had shortened my life by years, if not decades.

"Crap Bella," Sam said, wiping his hands over his face.

"What?" I wanted to scream, but it came out in a gasp, "The love of my life dies and I think you'd understand of all people Sam."

"I do get it, but I won't kill myself over Jes. I'll love her, but there's still hope out there." He had meant to say hope out there for new love, but had shut his mouth. He didn't want her to think Dean and her were meant to be. It was just starting, and perhaps it would never go anywhere, but at least they had both found someone to lean on. Dean hadn't been right since he had come back from Hell, and Bella, she hadn't been whole since before they had met her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my head hanging, I had screwed up again and brought pain back into their lives.

"It's ok," Dean answered, moving to stand up, holding my hands firmly to help me up. "We'll be with you for this, he won't talk to you," he said, putting a thumb underneath my chin so I'd look him in his evergreen eyes.

"I know," I whispered, throwing my arms around Dean's neck and burying me head in his chest, breathing in the cool smell of mint and hickory.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for everyone who's reviewed and added, it really helps me continue this story. Just pester me and I'll keep updating, hopefully twice a week!**

Chapter 8

We stopped soon after my spell. The guys thought it would be a good idea, and thankfully I agreed. One more night not in Forks would do me good, I certainly couldn't handle being in that town yet, it made me claustrophobic, no room to breath. I had yet to come back and even lay flowers on Charlie's gravestone.

Sighing I thought back to all the nice things Charlie had ever done for me. He'd been a great father, buying me a truck because he loved me. Letting me live with him after years of not even visiting. He had loved me in his own way, and I repaid him by skipping out, running at the first opportunity because I couldn't handle being there.

"What's the matter Bells?" Sam asked, placing his large hand on my slumped shoulder.

Somehow we had ended up in a motel room with gray carpeting, a green comforter, and an a/c that didn't work. I don't even remember how we had gotten the room. I just knew I was there now, sitting on a comforter that was scratchy, thinking about my father and what a horrible daughter I had been to him.

"Nothing Sam. Just lost memories I don't want to relive." I turned, flicking a glance in his direction before staring down at a coffee stain on the unraveling carpet while he walked back to his laptop.

Dean had gone out to pick something up for us. After being on the road for two days it felt like I had fallen back into their pattern again with them. Sam would do research, Dean would get dinner, and I- I did what every girl does when there's no need for her. I took a shower and slept. Doing research wasn't my thing, Sam was the best guy for that job, and Dean certainly didn't want me around while he was getting food. It was just too awkward with him. Yesterday the kiss, today with me breaking down over Him. Nothing seemed to work. Was I supposed to pretend that kiss didn't mean anything? Should I sleep on the disgusting floor now? What was the plan?

God I hated being indecisive. That was the old Bella, the weak Bella who couldn't handle a guy hitting on her, let alone knowing what she wanted.

"Hey, so I found some stuff about all the disappearances. It seems that they are all happening at night and the people who are disappearing are all middle age or younger."

"Great! What else could we ask for?" I muttered, standing up to look at the computer screen. Right there in black and white for the world to see was a list of all the people missing, along with ages and a description of what they looked like.

"Could you not do that please?" Sam grunted, turning around to catch me staring over his shoulder at the information on the screen. Only Sam could get huffy over me glancing at information WE needed. One of Sam's many petpeeves, if only I could love him for that. Usually he was the nice guy, but sneaking a peek over his shoulder always bugged him to no end.

Sticking out my tongue I marched over and sat in the chair opposite him and waited for him to show me more. "Sorry oh wise one. Please continue," I asked, pasting on my innocent sweet as cherry pie expression.

Rolling his hazel eyes at my little display of five year old antics he said, "They've also put up a curfew. People need to be in their homes by sundown, but that's not stopping whoever's doing this. The homeless people go unnoticed, drained more than likely. The kids who want to rebel are the ones who are being reported, got someone they care about out there. Or at least they did. Army's growing. It's getting close to thirty, maybe more."

"Could my life get any better?" I whispered, looking at the plastic table and tracing a design into it with my nail.

Dean of course picked that moment to come back. What luck for me.

"Chinese?" he replied, holding up white cartons of rice and whatever else he thought would taste good. The smile on his face disappeared at our somber expressions.

"Let me guess. Bad news," Dean said, closing the door and bolting it before tossing our food down onto the table in front of us. "So what's the story?" he managed between mouthfuls of what looked like Cho mein and chicken.

I opened the white box in front of me, hoping to avoid his question to see my favorite. Dean hadn't forgotten after all these months.

"Thanks Dean," I said quietly, staring down at the browned rice and pink shrimp in the carton. Picking up some chopsticks I thought I heard him mutter, 'no problem.' But it would be just like Dean to downplay something as sweet as remembering what I liked to eat. He always up played the tough guy who didn't give a shit and certainly didn't remember shit, but he certainly had his own sweet side to things, if you're willing to overlook his rough edges some times.

"Yeah it's bad news," Sam answered between a mouthful of white rice and orange chicken.

Dean let out a belch that filtered the air with the cho mein before he asked, "So, how bad is bad? We looking at ripped limbs touching the sky when we're done or what?"

"God Dean! Can't you cover your mouth or something?" I gasped, waving my hand in front of my face to rid the air around me of the horrible stench.

"Nah Bells, I like my presence known." He grinned, eyes shining for the first time in two days and a blush crept up my cheeks.

What was wrong with me? He's not interested in you like that. Get over yourself. I'd always had a crush on Dean, but had feigned friendship, brotherly love for two years. And that kiss had ruined everything. Now I couldn't get him out of my head!

Sam simply sat there, gazing at me in a manner which had me believing he knew my inner monologue so I put up the façade. The armor I wore into a hunt that made me the cold bitch I had become.

"Sam found out that the army is getting big. That no one is really safe, however much Seattle's finest are trying to protect them," I answered before chowing down on the rest of my shrimp fried rice.

"Ok then Sammy, what does that mean for us? Need more hunters? Divide them? What? What are they after anyway?" Dean asked between slurps.

"I'm not sure," Sam replied, massaging his neck at all the questions.

This was going to be a tough hunt. Three hunters verse thirty vamps? No way could we possibly do this alone. It seemed the only people I could turn to for help were the same people I had been avoiding for four years. And that was if they even lived here anymore, if I could get in contact with them it would be a miracle and a blessing for the cause.

"I'll call them," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Their number was still memorized inside my brain, even in the four years of trying to forget them had I forgotten those ten sequenced numbers. "Just give me a minute, I'm going to go get some air, then I'll do it."

I wondered if they realized how hard it was for me. To go to them for help was beyond excruciating. Standing up, I slowly walked to the door. My body was beginning to go into safe mode to protect me. I couldn't feel my hand grasp the door handle. I could see it happening, but it just didn't feel real.

Outside I tried to breathe. Anything but hyperventilate at the thought of going back to my past. I was here, probably fifty miles outside Forks, fifty miles away from a family that didn't want me, had never really wanted me. They hadn't made any effort to contact me or find me in four years.

The door squeaked open to reveal Dean which knocked me out of my endless motion of pity thoughts.

"Hey," he mumbled, leaning against the side of the building as I stared out at the stars above. Holding my arms to my chest to keep warm I nodded in his direction.

"You don't have to call them if you don't want. When we first brought you along we didn't know. Heck, I mean I still don't know everything about you Bells, but – I mean," he stopped, stumbling over what to say that would sound right.

"It's ok," I replied. "I'm a big girl." I involuntarily shivered at that moment. So much for appearing grown up. Washington was no Arizona. The temperature had hit the forties during our time inside and I had come out without a jacket on.

"Here," Dean said, coming behind me to envelope me in his body heat. It was nice having a warm blooded guy around. I had never really been around someone warm, someone who perhaps liked me, in so long.

"Thanks," I said, leaning back into him. I sighed, breathing in his wonderful smell and continued to gaze at the stars. If I thought about us I would make it awkward and immediately he would guess the meaning, so for now I simply stood there, feeling protected.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Totally not my characters (just want to point that out), but it's my story (haha)  
**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'll try and update one more time before this weekend hits and I'm stuck working  
**

* * *

Chapter 9

The moment was perfect, just us, both staring up at the stars, with white cotton candy clouds drifting over the moon. And as one cloud travelled over the moon to block out what light we did have, Dean opened his mouth. Moment ruiner. Never trust a guy in a good moment, it's like they know and they just want to get it over with as quick as possible. Course, this is _Dean _we're talking about, he hates moments. Too mushy for him.

"So what was that kiss about anyways?" he whispered into my ear.

I turned my head, letting his sweet mint air tickle my cheek. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye I saw the twinkle back in his eye even though his face was serious.

Finally I processed the question and turned around abruptly; losing the warmth Dean had given me. "What do you mean anyways? How the hell am I supposed to know what it was about? I was just giving you a peck on the cheek and your dumb ass had to go and move your head. Do you think I planned it or something? Jesus!" I huffed, my face only inches from his as I stared him down.

At first he was taken aback by my rude behavior, totally unprepared for the hardened Bella who couldn't really trust men, who didn't believe anything they said. Then, he seemed to get it. His lips turned upwards as he stared me down, a glint back in his eyes as he listened to my spiel.

"Actually, yeah. I think you did plan it," Dean replied, letting his womanizer side come out.

"Um, no. I certainly have never, ever, _ever _liked you like that," I lied. Dean Winchester didn't need to add another female to his list of crushes/trophies/conquests. You name it, he's probably had it. A blush began to creep back into my cheeks, and I prayed he wouldn't notice. It was still dark out, the moon was only slowly starting to shed it's light again. Besides, I could claim the chill if need be, he'd hopefully never know the truth.

"I think the lady is lying. Or whatever Shakespeare said." Dean wiggled his finger in front of my face, proving that he still knew me too damn well. A crooked smile growing on his face. God I loved his crooked smile, so different from…

"Oh yeah," I replied, forbidding myself from thinking about Him ever again. "What are you going to do about it?" I replied, placing my hands on my hips. No way were my hands allowed to touch Dean, even if they wanted to sooo very badly. It would just give him more incentive to hurt me, to make me feel like I wasn't worth it.

"This."

He cupped my face in both of his hands, pulling me the rough few inches towards him and kissed me. His lips were soft and smooth, nothing like I had dreamed about years ago, it was better than his first kiss, our mistaken kiss. This was sweet, but not gentle. Dean knew I wasn't a porcelain doll, and he wasn't act like it either as we kissed each other hungrily. My hands could no longer stay on my hips, they needed to be on him, touching him, as he began to paw me roughly. Up over his thin flannel shirt, touching the hard muscle of his biceps as I tried to pull him closer, while he put his hands on the small of my back to bring me pressed up against his flat, muscle hard chest.

The kiss was reaching a new level of anxiety before the door to our room squeaked open.

"Hey, you guys- whoa, um," Sam stuttered, his voice filled with awe.

Dean and I broke apart stepping back from each other to catch Sam covering his eyes like he had seen something bad. Not like he hadn't seen it, or done it before.

Panting, I wiped my mouth, trying to hide the evidence of my bruised lips. Chuckling Dean asked, "What? Never heard of knocking Sammy?" Like there was anywhere to actually knock, we were outside for friggin's sake. Dean turned to look me square in the eye, his eyes still lust filled. This wasn't over he was telling me. Like I didn't already know that.

"Um," Sam said, pushing his fists into his eyes to try and rid himself of the images, "there's been another body found. And I thought we should make the call."

Inwardly I groaned, knowing my time was going to be cut short with Dean for quite a while if this case wasn't solved. "Not like I can avoid them forever," I muttered, heading into the now chilling room. Sam and Dean followed me in, quickly shutting the door and adding salt to the floor in front of the doorway for the first time. Pacing I tried to get my heart and breathing in check.

It's just Dean. It's just the Cull-ens. I can do this. I repeated over and over again. My breathing wasn't coming out in gasps, but my heart couldn't be stopped. It felt like I was four again, picking at a flower with the question of does he like me stuck in my head. The anxiety of having to call them didn't help either.

Finally after a minute or two of Sam and Dean staring at me I walked over to the phone sitting on the night stand. It didn't matter that the call wasn't local, or that there would be a bill. With the fake credit cards the bill would never be paid for. That made me smirk, at least I'm not paying to talk to these people.

Dialing the number I still knew by heart I waited, holding my breath. Praying that no one in their house would pick up the phone, even if we did seriously need their help.

One ring.

Two ring.

Three.

"Hello Bella!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own these people, but it would certainly cool if I could catch Dean for five minutes…**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews again and for adding me to your alerts, believe me, I'm not a big reviewer, I just read a bunch of other people's works. **

Chapter 10

"Hello Bella!" Alice screeched through the receiver, making me wish I hadn't pressed it into my ear. Her voice could make a bat lose its hearing. If I was still around in twenty years I'd need hearing aids because of her.

Of course she would have seen me coming, although she certainly had never helped me in the past and I had quite a few scars from close calls in hunting to prove that. What a great friend.

"Hey Alice," I muttered, glancing at Dean and Sam to see what they were doing while I made the dreaded call. They were simply staring at me with mouths forming a hard line. That's what they were doing. Watching me as I turned a nice fuchsia, heat rising to my face, sweat beginning to pour from my pores, and I could do nothing about it but glare until they both turned in opposite directions at the same time. Hilarious, weenies both of them, and they were still unable to deal with my evil eye. I had used that many a time to get them out of my area when working a hunt. Sometimes, it takes the feminine touch to get information or a job done.

"Bella where have you been?" she squealed. Five year olds could sound more mature in my opinion. I swear I could even hear her jumping up and down like the little sprite she still is. Nothing ever made her feel bad, not even bailing on her best friend four years ago.

"Like you don't already know. Now you know who I want to talk to, can you go get him?" I replied through gritted teeth. Could she not stop with the sugar coatedness? This was serious. I certainly didn't want to talk to her for hours about nothing after everything she and her family had done to me.

The tv turned on behind me, guns going off, the volume blaring, a door closing. Probably Dean looking for a good action flick. Not like our life needed any more action to begin with. If we lived through this hunt I was going to need a long vacation, without pixies and boys that screwed with my emotion and head.

The door had to have been Sam probably going out for awhile to get some fresh air, or find a bar while I dealt with this. He would know everything when he came back from his little outing. Sometimes I worried about him; he didn't do much else except research and hunt. Even after I had joined them the first time he hadn't made any real leaps and bounds into the real world. Jessica's death had cost him too much. His _gift_ hadn't made things better either.

"I'll go get Carlisle," she answered, her voice dropping an octave as if in defeat. Not like I cared, even if I felt a pang of regret at being so rude to her. She brought it on herself, I thought. She chose to leave me alone, let me become the person I am today. She can deal with it.

After a few moments, which was beginning to feel like eternity for me, with the receiver feeling heavier and heavier, Carlisle finally got on. Couldn't vampires move faster than our snail speed for a phone call? "Bella, so good to hear from you." His voice was pleasant, like we were just catching up after a few weeks of not talking.

Holding back a bark of bitter laughter I rolled my eyes and said, "Good to hear you too. Now, I'm sure Alice has been keeping you updated as well as the newspapers and everything on the issue in Seattle."

"Yes Bella, we have been discussing whether or not to go out and deal with this ourselves. Of course Alice told me twenty minutes ago to be expecting a phone call. I didn't really think it could possibly be you who would be calling to help us with this situation. Have you been tracking it as well?"

"Yes, we have."

"We, Bella?" Carlisle asked, intrigued at the idea of more than just myself.

"Yes, it'll be me and two other hunters with me. I hope that's all right since we're all on the same page. They know what you are, and they won't hurt you since they know your diet," I gushed, my voice and demeanor becoming businesslike as the conversation carried on. "Is it ok if we stop by tomorrow to talk?"

"Yes, yes, as long as they know we mean them no harm it should not be a problem. We'll be expecting you around," he stopped, presumably to see from Alice when we would arrive before stating, "three. We'll be at the house waiting for you then. I can't wait to hear about a hunter's life," Carlisle replied jovially. He truly seemed interested in what had become my life.

I paused, unsure whether I should ask him the one question I was dying to ask. My body became cold and clammy as I thought harder on it. Taking a deep breath, my voice cracking, I asked quietly, "Will _everyone_ be there?"

The silence seemed to last forever, as if Carlisle were thinking of telling the truth or not. "I'm not quite sure, to be honest," he finally answered.

I pulled at my ponytail, trying to keep the aggravation out of my voice. "What do you mean, you're not sure?"

"He knows that you're coming…but he hasn't been with the family since you left."

"Wait. What do you mean, _I left_? You guys left me! You had moved out, you left me all alone!" I screamed, my eyes beginning to become unfocused as tears welled up in my eyes, flinching when I felt a callused hand on my shoulder. I turned around to confront Dean, expecting him to have a scowl on his face for interrupting his movie time, but instead he looked worried, unsure of what to do. Flinging myself into his arms, I waited for Carlisle to continue.

"We _never_ left."

The phone fell from my hand as I heard those three little words. Lies. They had all lied to me, made me believe that they were going to leave Forks behind, start over in Los Angeles. Alice stopped talking to me the week before it happened. Emmett, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, they had all faded into the background, avoiding me at all costs. While Edward became distant, angry at the littlest thing, finally admitting to me what I had always known with him. I wasn't good enough, that his infatuation with me was over.

Later I would recall that I hadn't heard Carlisle scream through the phone, or the dial tone after he hung up. The phone ring when he tried to call back was silent in my ears. All I heard was my breathing, my ragged breathing as I tried to keep myself together. Those assholes. How could they treat me like that? They had been a second family to me, and instead of being there when I needed them because the most important person in my whole universe realized I wasn't good enough, they had left me alone to die, to fight, to do whatever my uncertain future had held.

Dean just held me, his hand ghosting down my hair, slowly pulling the ponytail holder out, gently combing my hair with his fingers. "Shhh," he whispered, trying desperately to calm me down. "It's ok, everything will be ok. _I'm here_, I'll never leave you."

He had never been good with pathetic damsels in distress. I had always laughed when I had worked with them in the past. Some dumb bimbo flying into his arms, because he was a protector and either he would thoroughly enjoy the feel of her, her soft breasts pressing into his solid pecs or he would look around squeamishly at Sam and me as we stood on the sidelines. Sam always knew what to do when a girl flung herself at him. He would comfort and hold them and say just the right things and she'd be done crying in minutes. Dean, it just didn't happen. They would stand there for hours if Sam didn't butt in and take over.

Of course there was no Sam to make it better, only Dean. Not like I seriously minded at any other time, but right now I wasn't clearly thinking with my brain. I was only feeling, feeling all the crap the Cullens had thrown at me and frantically wishing it would all just go away.

So, I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled Dean's head down with both my hands, pressing my lips to his, franticly pushing my tongue to gain entrance to his mouth. I dug my fingers into his hair, locking his face to mine with all my strength. Waiting for him to respond with the same urgency I was feeling. Waiting for him to pull me tight against him, to feel some kind of emotion from him. Anything would feel better than being worthless. Anything.

"Whoa, sweetheart," Dean gasped, gently pushing me an arm's distance away. Keeping his hands on my shoulders, he created a barrier so I couldn't jump his bones. "Not that I don't think you're hot and everything, but I don't think this is the right time. I don't want to take advantage of you, Bells. I care about you too much to ruin whatever this is."

Never in all my time with Dean had he said that to a girl. Never. He was rejecting me in the nicest way he knew. My chin began to tremble as I faced another rejection again. My eyes began to well as I thought of how unworthy I was for the two guys that had sparked something in my life.

"No, no, no, sweetheart," Dean murmured, seeing my reaction to his rejection. Pulling me back into his arms I pressed my tear stained face into his black t-shirt. "I do want you; I just want you to not be doing it for the wrong reasons." I grasped his back, pulling him closer to me, muffling the crying I had held in for years, all the thoughts and feelings I had been hiding from myself since the day He had left.

Slowly rubbing his hand up and down my back through the thin t-shirt fabric, Dean walked me over to the bed we shared to lie down. Not even considering my jeans and knee high boots were still on, I laid down, barely holding myself together. The mattress squeaked underneath my weight and I pulled my thin legs up to my chest, holding onto them for dear life. Praying that this time I could keep it together, that it was simply a small meltdown, which would be over quickly, if only I could push it back down under the surface again. That the world wasn't crashing down on me like it had four years ago, I took a deep breath, trying to squelch myself.

Feeling the mattress move Dean came to lie down next to me, turning me over as I tried to hide my blotchy face in my hands, he cradled my still fragile form until exhausted from all the emotions I had been feeling for the past two days I fell into a dreamless sleep in his arms.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Still don't owe these characters. Shucks **

**A/n: I'll try and update one more time this weekend more than likely it'll be tomorrow since I'm working the rest of today. We'll see if that actually happens…**

**Review if you like it. I'm starting to wonder which way I should go with this story.  
**

Chapter 11

I woke up to warm breath tickling my hair across my face. Peeking through my eyelashes I found Dean, sleeping peacefully. His arms were hanging around me, making me feel safe. Giving him a small and swift peck on his lips I slowly turned over trying to leave his arms to go pee. Of course even in his subconscious state he simply constricted his arms, pulling me closer. Flipping over I caught a smirk splayed across his face, his breathing no longer slow and even.

Knowing he was awake, I decided to play his game. Bring it on. I gently pressed my breasts a bit closer to him, teasing, letting him believe I was going to get closer, press harder, but I stopped them where they barely touched, hoping to drive him crazy by the minimum space between us that still seemed like a gulf. Lightly bringing my lips to his I tried quickly to pull away, but he wasn't having that.

"Nuh uh," he murmured, digging his fingers into my hair. Curling my hair into chains around his fingers, he pulled my body the last few inches to his before feverishly kissing my mouth. I moaned into his mouth as he pushed his body further into mine. His tongue finally gaining entrance as I tried to hold out just as he had the night before. Feeling his erection press against my leg I knew that he truly liked me at that moment that I was being too harsh last night in my over-thinking. Hitching my leg over his I brought us all that much closer, as Dean continued his furious kissing, bringing his mouth down my neck, sucking at the hollow in between my clavicles. My breath caught at that, a loud moan once again escaping my lips, I was becoming too wet for my own good with Dean around. It was only going to lead to distractions on the job. Because personally, I was going to want to hold his hand and jump him every opportunity I could. Course, I would try and keep it professional, but a girl can only take so much. And I mean, it _is_ Dean Winchester, glorified sex god. Even after joining the Winchesters years ago, I had heard the stories and seen the girls' faces once he was done with them. No way was I going to pass that by, even if I was a bit frightened since it would be my first time. Always trying to save myself for a guy who had never truly cared about me.

Sam turned over, a loud snore passing through his nose. Breaking apart from our heated moment I checked to see if Sam was still passed out. Noting his fidgeting a sign that he would soon be waking up, I turned back to Dean who had continued to move further down, his hands no longer in my hair as he began to ghost down my back, my sides, never once touching what I knew would start us off on a journey that couldn't be finished today. Not with Sam around at least.

"Dean," I gasped, trying to be quiet and keep from waking Sam, "Dean, we gotta stop." Even though it felt amazing and a bit naughty I didn't _really_ want to stop, I knew if we didn't Sam would wake up and then I'd feel horrified at having him catch us, humping like bunnies.

"He'll deal," he murmured, knowing why I wanted to stop, pulling my mouth back onto his. The electricity sparked between us. This kind of reaction to him was only going to cause problems.

"We need to stop," I finally muttered, not pleased at having to be the one in control. Sooner or later I was going to have to let Dean have the reins. Wouldn't that get us both into trouble…

"Fine," he pouted, leaving my mouth unravaged but not allowing me to take my leg off his stony hip. Men. Do they always have to be so hard? Not that I'm really complaining, I mean at least he's warm, I smirked.

"What's that about?" he asked, seeing the funny smile on my face.

"Oh, nothing." I smiled purely for him, feeling happy for the first time in years. I had been content with hunting by myself and with them previously, but never, had I been truly happy. He had taken that away from me, but no longer.

I kissed him on the nose, quickly scurrying out from underneath him to go to the cool tiled bathroom before Dean could get there. I'm sure he was having the case of the blues this morning. Locking the door behind me I caught my expression in the mirror. A genuine smile, my hair unruly, my brown eyes twinkling and dancing from being with Dean, and my face flushed, but in a good way this time. I laughed. Finally! A happy moment after four years.

Getting into the shower I realized my shampoo and conditioner were still in my duffel, so I was stuck with the motel's brand. Hopefully there's didn't smell anything like strawberries. I had given up that scent long ago, just like I had given up anything that reminded me of Him. Turning on the shower I watched the water cascade from the nozzle until steam rose from the white plastic tub. Hopping in I began to relish the attention, letting my mind wonder back to what Dean and I could do in a situation like this, a dark blush creeping up my body, my lips catching on fire from just thinking about what we would do, when/if we ever got the chance.

The shower helped to detangle the knots and sore muscles in my body, but it only made me hot and ready for Dean the longer I was in there, daydreaming. Deciding that I couldn't stay in there any longer before I exploded from frustration, I jumped out. At least I wasn't the only one who could be frustrated. Throwing a towel over my body I unlocked the door. Usually if I took too long the guys would start yelling through the door, telling me to hurry up, to stop wasting the water, to leave some of it for them.

Walking out I realized why there hadn't been any commotion. Dean was the only one there. Sam had gone out to get us breakfast, hopefully, while Dean feigned sleep again. A smile grew on my face as I thought of all the fun I could have teasing Dean while Sam was out.

"Hey Dean, do you think you could get the lotion out of my bag?" I asked, from the bathroom door, laughing inwardly as I tried to look innocent. "I completely forgot where I put my duffel." Sticking my finger in my mouth I waited for him to open his eyes and catch me there, practically naked, wearing only a towel to keep him from seeing everything.

His eyes slowly opened to find me there, encircled in a towel. I'd never seen him get off the bed as quick as that. Personally, I wouldn't have been surprise if he had fallen flat on his face to help me "find" my lost duffel.

"Oops, never mind," I scoffed with him standing in front of me, getting ready to grab my arms. "Found it." I moved past him, barely grazing Dean to grab my duffel sitting on the table. "My bad." I turned in to Dean, smirking.

"Yep, you did bad," he muttered exasperated at my little performance, before walking over to me and roughly pulling me to him. Shocked registered on my face before he planted a blistering kiss on my lips. Just as he started to get going, he stopped, leaving me flustered. "Two can play that game." He grinned, his eyes twinkling at the game we had started.

Course I can totally beat him. Man can never triumph over woman and all the tricks up her sleeve.

"That's ok, I won't ask you to help me put lotion on," I replied, bending over to reach into my bag for my bottle of green apple lotion. Standing up straight I put my leg on the chair next to me, positioning myself so he almost got a view, but not enough of one. Pumping a dollop of lotion into my hands I began rubbing them painstakingly slow down my legs, bringing my hands just under my towel. One leg was all it took. Just one, before Dean was grabbing the lotion out of my hands to help me do it.

"Here, allow me," he smiled wickedly. Rubbing the lotion in his rough hands to warm it up he began applying it to my other leg, my natural scent flooding the air around us as I began to get wet again for him. His hands although gentle scraped against my leg as he bathed me in green apple. I had never been one for coddling. Only one person had ever thought that was what I _needed_. The quiet ones are always the freaks, and I was proof of that truth.

As Dean started to inch his hand under my towel Sam walked in holding a McDonald's bag. "Um, guys, could you save that for another time?" Sam asked, turning quickly towards the entrance with his hand over his eyes. I swear that'd become a new position for him. Laughing silently I moved out of Dean's reach. Letting out a curse Dean stood up, thrusting the bottle into my hands. Yep, blue today.

"So what'd you bring me Sammy?" I asked as Dean stalked off to use the bathroom.

"Oh, um, a sausage biscuit," and laying down the McDonald's paper bag on the table I thought I heard, "not like you need any more sausage."

"Samuel Winchester, did I just hear what I thought I heard?" I gasped, aghast that he would actually say something like that to me. My hand flying to my mouth I hid a tiny smile from splaying across my face. Sam was finally getting into the world again, little by little.

"No," he stated, his eyes wide from having me hear his dirty little comment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I let it go at that, grabbing the top sandwich from the bag and then proceeding to comp into it like a true champ. God I loved these things, even if they were totally unhealthy for me.

"That's right mister," I said through a mouthful of biscuit, "But thanks for breakfast anyway." A few crumbs sputtered out of my mouth catching on Sam's face. Both of us busted out laughing while Sam wiped it off.

"Eww, gross!" he squealed, playing the girl for the moment. "I'm all infected." We laughed hard at that, enjoying the carefree moment as we waited for Dean to finish up in the bathroom. Sitting on the couch we began to watch Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me when Dean finally exited the bathroom. Seeing I was still in a towel, I hurriedly grabbed a pair of my favorite jeans and a white t-shirt, another pair of boy shorts and a satin bra before jumping into the bathroom to change. Changing quickly I got out so Sam could take a shower, only to discover he had taken one last night.

If only all of us could have cute hair after sleeping on it wet! Running a brush through my hair I pulled it back into the short ponytail I had grown accustomed to. One day it would be damaged beyond belief.

We left the hotel soon after. Our stuff packed again for the rest of the ride. Another fifty miles or so and we'd be in Forks, the dreaded town of my adolescents.

The drive was quiet, nothing really jumped out at us in the silent marshland of Washington. Low Rider continued to barrel through the speakers as I stared out the window. The land I had grown up around hadn't changed much. The turbulent gray clouds were still there, promising rain, the green encapsulated everything it could touch, leaving some tree trunks with their brown, others covered in moss and vines.

I closed my eyes, willing away the thoughts and images that were passing me by. The memory of losing the first love I had ever had. Unwillingly I thought back to that fateful day.

_**(A/n: Borrowing from SM's NM)**_

"_Bella, I don't want you to come with me."_

_I had been devastated, not truly understanding his meaning, but trying to remain calm throughout everything, not aware until he uttered, "Of course, I'll always love you… in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm … _tired _of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human. I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that."_

_That had been a crushing blow. One I thought I could overcome for the both of us. Until he said, "Well, I won't forget. But _my_ kind… we're very easily distracted." And then he had smiled peacefully, only to have me go over the edge of misery._

Glancing back out the window I pushed the memories away. No need to rehash what couldn't be fixed. What I didn't want fixed anymore. He was never right for me anyway; he'd never give in and let me be with him for eternity. Pushing my knuckles into my eyes I fought the tears that had resurfaced at that memory. I would never be able to get him out of my head. He'd become a permanent fixture, and sadly his face would never be changing in my mind or on this earth.

The green sign that faded into the environment was still there after four years of being away. The numbers never changed, although I doubted over a thousand people lived here anymore. The town looked the same, wet, full of small little stores on the main street. The grocery store to my left and further down the school I had spent a miserable year at. It hadn't been entirely miserable; I admitted to myself, it just wasn't perfect.

"Keep going on this road. We'll be out in a minute or so. You'll have to slow down to catch their drive way, it's pretty hidden if you don't know what you're looking for," I told Dean who caught my eye in the rear view mirror, looking a bit concerned. I must look a fright after going back through memory lane. I simply wanted this hunt to be over, for us to go on with our lives, for the memories to stay hidden in the bottom of my heart, like they had been for the past four years.

Nodding, Dean slowed down to a speed even my old truck could have beat and after a few more miles of being out of town I pointed to the small opening between the trees on the right side.

"Here," I said my voice growing quiet, as I gazed at the same drive way I had driven down dozens of times. The path was still the same, as it had been four years ago.

Coming to a complete stop a few feet from the house I looked up at its splendor. The house hadn't changed a bit. The whole thing still took my breath away. Looking at my watch I felt a tiny smile tug at my lips. Three o'clock on the dot.

"Wow," Sam murmured, surprise written on his features as he got out, gazing at the wonderful world the Cullens called home.

Dean got out of the driver's side and offered me his hand. "Come on missy, let's get this over with." He had never trusted vampires even though he'd fought with some after seeing they had changed their ways. That was thanks to Gordon. Now Dean knew that there was gray between the black and white.

I used my hand to duck out through the door, grasping his hand for life support as we trudged toward the front door, expecting at any moment that Alice would come bounding out. They knew we were here, and knowing that eyes were watching me and judging how I had changed didn't go over well. I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck as we climbed the front steps. Sam knocked on the door, and as it swung open to reveal his face.

I can't say what happened after that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I sure as hell have fun playing with them.**

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and adding, it really makes my day after a hard day of work. And don't worry about the pairings. All will turn out right at the end…**

Chapter 12

I awoke to hearing hushed angry voices. The floor wasn't quite as uncomfortable as I would have expected it to be. The Cullens must have put cushions on their floor, I thought, only to remember who had answered the door.

Edward. Edward was here at the house. Here in Forks to be exact. My heart rate picked up at that, why was my heart beating soo fast? Was I anxious? Nervous? Why did I even care? Perhaps it was for the reason that he had broken my heart, the heart that was still beating and perhaps betraying me at the same time. I didn't love Edward anymore, I reminded myself. I was simply a distraction for him and nothing else.

Forcing my eyelids to open I discovered I hadn't been on the floor at all. Dean had been cradling me in the hallway of the Cullen's house since I fell, I guessed. Deep down he was a true romantic, with the right girl of course. Tentatively I smiled at him, but he wasn't paying me any attention. He was staring at Edward, quietly arguing over something. Trying to wrap my brain around the conversation I began to understand. They were arguing over who should be holding me. Who should be carrying me to the couch in the living room.

"Don't worry," I croaked, my voice not used to talking after- how long had it been? A few minutes? Ten? And here they were fighting over who held me? How strangely endearing.

Dean and Edward glanced sharply down to see my pale face, a grin expanding at their idiocies. Grasping Dean's arm I tried to get down, clumsily standing, I clung to him to help balance my weight. Sam stood behind us, keeping close enough to help with any major problem that might happen.

"Bella," Edward sighed, his crooked smile appearing on his face. His topaz colored eyes shone on his wan face, almost as if he truly missed me, his distraction from four years ago. He hadn't changed a bit. His unruly copper hair standing every which way, his sinewy body still as sculpted as ever, the Adonis of my high school years was still very much present

"You ok," Dean asked, turning my head with his thumb under my chin ever so slowly to face him. One of his callused fingers gently running down my cheek. I leaned into him, using him to support my weight. I certainly didn't need to pass out again over something as insignificant as my first love. Dean put his arm around me, his trademark leather jacket, covering my side, pulling me closer as if I needed protection.

A growl erupted from in front of us, and I turned to see Edward's smile had vanished. Instead he looked ten times the monster he had always claimed to be standing in front of us. His topaz eyes had turned a violent black, his teeth bared, ready to jump his prey at a moment's notice.

Dean took a step forward, shielding me from Edward who seemed to have lost his mind at that moment.

Quickly stepping past Dean I proceeded to stand in Edward's personal space, inches from his lethal teeth. "Do you have a problem?" I asked, boring into his eyes, my tone pissed that he had made some comment, some sound, about me and my life.

"Bella, you know he's always been this way," Alice replied, dancing into the hall like the ballerina she should have been. Curiosity struck me at that moment. Why hadn't Alice or Carlisle answered the door? They were the ones who had known we were coming at a certain time. Why wouldn't they have gotten it?

"Alice," I smiled rosily. I was on to her games. She would have to answer my questions sooner or later.

"Oh, Bella," Carlisle greeted, quickly flying down the stairs. "Alice was showing me something. I didn't even hear you ring the bell." Not like they needed the bell to hear us coming, which left me wondering why they were being so strange about me being here.

"Carlisle, so good to see you again," I said, side stepping the still frozen in place Edward to shake Carlisle's hand. "This is Dean Winchester," I said, pointing to Dean, who thankfully came up to shake Carlisle's hand, breaking the handshake as quickly as socially permitted, "And this is Sam Winchester. I've been working with them for some time now." I watched as Sam stepped up to Carlisle, grasping his hand firmly before stepping back to my side. They may have understood vampires and been ok with ones who didn't drink human blood, but that certainly didn't put them at ease, especially considering vampires' abilities and the coldness the Cullens projected.

"Dean, Sam, this is the Cullens. Esme," I pointed to my mother figure that had appeared from the garden, her gardening gloves stuffed in her tailored front pant's pocket. Even gardening she still looked professionally beautiful. "Rosalie and Emmett," I said as they walked down the stairs from probably being up in their bedroom. I heard the rumors and noises that had left their room when they thought no one was there; besides, Emmett's appearance wasn't as pristine looking as Rosalie's at this moment. Not like he could care less, with that silly grin on his face that said, hey yeah I just fucked her, so what. "And this is Jasper and Alice of course." I said, as Jasper walked to Alice's side. I was surprised Jasper had even come in the house, let alone the same room after what he had done four years ago. He seemed a bit petrified at being so close to humans again, but keeping his back straight and his emotions from showing he kept up a good game face. The guys still didn't know about him trying to kill me. They knew most of the details, but not all yet.

"Hi," Sam said, nodding his head in each person's direction. At least he was trying to be friendly compared to Dean and Edward.

Backing up I pressed my back against Dean's chest. Feeling him behind me made me feel sure that he wasn't going to jump Edward and start a fight. That was something none of us needed when we really needed to be thinking about stopping an all out battle with some vampire and a legion of newborns. Feeling his hand snake around to hold me in place certainly didn't help Edward's murderous expression.

"Carlisle, Jasper," I said, shaking off Dean's arm. Any other time I would have killed to have it stay where it was, but right now I needed to pretend to be professional and get this strategy meeting under way. "What do you think is happening? And how many are we looking at?"

"Well," Carlisle began, walking towards the dining table to get the discussion under way, "Jasper believes they are probably coming after us. We're the only large coven for miles around, and they will simply want the territory we have."

"It only seems logical," Jasper stated, his southern drawl coming out more due to his anxiety. "They want the humans in this area. It was the same with the southern wars. Nothing really appears to be any different."

"Good to know," I replied, swatting Dean's hand away from mine. He was being too overprotective at this moment. If it were any other hunt I don't think he would have cared, I don't think I would have cared if he held my hand, but right now I certainly didn't want him pissing on his "territory".

"Is he bothering you?" Edward asked quietly, appearing at my other side.

"No, he's not, but thank you for your concern Edward," I huffed. What gave him the right to act like a jealous boyfriend after four years? After how he left me? I wanted to rip a new hole into him, but that would mean dealing with the past, dealing with the lies he had told me, and I certainly did NOT want to deal with that today or any other day. I pulled Dean's hand back into mine, only to hear a growl rip through the room.

Turning to the man next to me I gaped in fear at the thing he had become. Twice now, in less than ten minutes he had lost his temper, and now he was out for murder.

"She's not yours," he screamed, his tone choking with distaste.

"Wha-" Dean looked around, utterly confused at what Edward was talking about.

"You heard me. She's never been yours," Edward roared. I openly turned from one face to the other, not comprehending what was going on at this moment. Who were they talking about? They couldn't possibly be talking about me.

Edward was inches from Dean's face in a matter of seconds; it would take even less before he could pummel him to the ground, ripping Dean apart. I wasn't having this on my hands.

"Shut up! Will you both please just shut up!" I screamed, my arms flying in the air.

"Dean, cool it," Sam said, grabbing his brother's arms to drag him away from Edward.

"Edward what's gotten into you?" Esme asked her voice full of concern as always.

Before anyone else could say anything, Edward was out of the room in a flash of white. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett rushed out the door after him. My mouth hung open for a full five seconds before I realized what had happened.

"Carlisle, perhaps this isn't the best time," I murmured, grabbing the boys' arms and propelling them to the front door. "We'll come back at another time, once everyone has cooled off. I didn't know it would be so much on a first visit," I blathered, trying to fill the angst filled silence with as much of my voice as possible.

"I am sorry," Sam said before ushering Dean and I out the front door. "You have a really nice house," he shot to Esme before we were running to the Impala with Dean looking behind him every few minutes.

Having Sam take the driver's side, I followed Dean to the passenger's to get in the back.

"What just happened?" Dean muttered as Sam revved the engine into drive.

"I don't know," Sam uttered in amazement. His eyes glancing into the rearview mirror at me, Sam had always been a smart cookie.

"Edward can –read-minds," I stuttered. Well, next time I certainly was going to have to give all the details to the story if I ever planned on hunting with them again. Course I hadn't really wanted this case in the first place.

"ISABELLA SWAN!" I flinched at the hardness of my name as it passed through his lips and into the quiet car. "Are you telling me that he was listening to what I was thinking?" Dean screamed his face a putrid red. I had never seen Dean so angry, Sam cowed in the driver's seat his shoulders slumping as Dean continued to rant at me. "He heard every little thing and you didn't think it was important for us to know?"

I gulped, definitely my bad. Facts are facts and hunters need all the facts they can get. Just because I had told them the story about Edward's and my relationship doesn't mean I had explained about their extra abilities. It was something private that was a need to know basis.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"You won't be half as sorry when this case is over."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, curious that Dean would do anything bad to a fellow hunter. Besides, we had something going. He wasn't going to hurt me, was he?

"Oh, you'll find out, soon enough," Dean said.

"Anything else we should know?" Sammy piped in, trying to calm Dean in his own way.

"Alice can read minds… and Jasper can fool with your emotions."

"You've got to be fucking joking with me sweetheart!" Dean sputtered. Yep, he was going to be one unhappy camper for the rest of this hunt.

"I'm sorry," I stressed, "I thought they wouldn't go around using their abilities. Stupid me for thinking they could be civilized."

Dean merely gawked at me. So, maybe I had made a bad decision believing everything would turn out for the best.

Sam turned into the only motel in the area, a quaint bed and breakfast that I had thankfully never been to. Hopefully no one would notice me, or make any connections with who I might possibly look like. Nothing could be greater than 'Oh my God! Is that Isabella Swan?' yada yada yada. Definitely didn't need to be noticed while I was in town.

"Sam could you pop the trunk? I need something," I murmured, quickly jumping past Dean to get into my duffel. No way was I getting into any more trouble with this hunt. I had enough shit on my plate with Dean mad at me right now. Going through my duffel I pulled out a pair of shades and a baseball hat I had carried around for the just in case moments. This was certainly a 'just in case' kind of situation.

"Thanks," I said from behind the dark glasses. Hopefully, the people of Forks would simply think I had a hangover or something, because there was really no need for sunglasses in a town like this. Clouds or rain were all this town ever saw, besides the very _VERY_ rare day of sun.

Dean had split while I was getting incognito, all I saw was his retreating leather jacketed back heading towards downtown. I hate it when he was mad, it would take forever for him to cool down.

"Bella, why don't you wait here while I go get us a room?" Sam suggested, heading towards the front office of the building.

"Sure," I replied. Leaning back against the Impala, I stared at my conversed feet.

It took a few minutes, but Sam returned holding up enthusiastically a room key. "The Little Miss Moppet Room," he grinned. Why did people want to have a themed bed and breakfast? Needless to say I was glad I had never come here before, or I might have torched the place for its idiocy.

"Fine," I said, grabbing Dean's and my duffels. It was the least I could do after starting his temper tantrum. Although I didn't start all of it…

"Sam," I asked, once we had entered the horrendous room of pink bows and mushrooms. Who decided mushrooms would be a good idea? "What were Edward and Dean fighting about?" Please don't say it. Please don't say it; my mantra began.

"You," he stated.

"Oh."

**A/N: Yes, one more note from me. Did you like it? I'll update tomorrow, I'm done for today, time to hang out with the family for a change…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: This chapter will probably be shorter, since it wasn't supposed to be updated until later (and should have been hanging out with the family, my bad) … ok perhaps I'll throw you all for a curve too**

Chapter 13

"What do you mean _me_?" I balked after waiting for the information to sink in.

"Well," Dean shrugged, running his hand through his silken brown hair, "you've changed him. Dean's so much better with you around. How can _you_ not see that?"

I shook my head. I didn't comprehend how he was better with me around than how he was before me.

"Explain," I stated. Pacing back and forth in front of Sam and the pink covered bed with bows of pink on the windows, at least there was a spider climbing down from the window that made it less cutesy. If this place didn't make me throw up it certainly would make Dean. Why couldn't we simply have a room with skulls and crossbones? As long as the bones didn't keep a spirit from crossing over I couldn't see the difference. This room only seemed to have one shade of pink anyway. The bubble gum easily lost its flavor, pink. Great, just what I needed.

I began wearing a path into the (yet again) pink carpet, waiting for Sam's response.

Exasperated, Sam caught me by the shoulders on my last turn in front of him. "You've haven't been around for months Bella. When you left the first time, I didn't notice it as much. He was a bit quieter, he didn't laugh as much, joke with me, or smile, but he still had a spark. Then my curse began to get worse, and he became more serious, taking the burden of helping me upon himself. With you," he paused, wiping his face in frustration, "with you, he's smiling more. He's a human being again with you around. And I've noticed. I've watched how you two are together, and don't get me on the whole catching you guys in more awkward positions, because that is sure true as hell." He sat down, looking up at me with his deep hazel eyes, saying, "Bella, he loves you. He hasn't been with a woman in months. Sure," he murmured, "he's flirted with a girl at the passing bar, but he's never taken her back to the hotel, he's never kicked me out of the room over a girl. He's been waiting I think, waiting on something to happen.

"Perhaps for me to die. Perhaps for something to bring you two together, I'm not sure. I just know how he looks at you when you're not looking, how his face changes when you're in the room. He's never held a girl's hand before, or tried to in anyone's presence. Don't you see?"

I guessed I did, but then again, what if we were both wrong? What if I was just a play thing for him for now, and later when the time was up and the hunt was over, would he actually still want me around?

"No," I said, shaking my head furiously, my hair hitting my eyes, bringing tears up. "I can't believe." I wouldn't let myself. Not when I had believed it once before, thought our love invincible. I had thought my love with Edward had been enough, but I had been fooled.

Changing the subject I asked, "How long was I out?" It still made me curious that I would pass out after seeing Edward's face. You would think I'd have simply dropped my jaw, screamed, something to that effect, but instead I fainted over a lost love.

After growing up and fighting supernatural entities for the past two years you would have thought I'd have lost some of those extremely feminine qualities. Nope. I've been crying more recently than usual, fainting over a vampire, and my heart is getting flustered over another man.

"Only a few minutes," Sam answered while I went through my own inner turmoil. "You would have been on the couch faster if those two hadn't been arguing over you. The vamp was faster at getting to you, but since you fainted almost on top of Dean he got to hold you.

"Bella, why didn't you tell us about the Cullen's abilities?"

I blanched, sitting down in the over cushioned chair by the bed. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm really not. I was hoping to never deal with them again for one. Two, they shouldn't have used their abilities to be honest. Jasper only uses his in dire situations, or when utterly necessary for his sanity. Alice, it's not so bad with hers, you can ask her not to pay attention of course, and sometimes she even listens," I gushed, my blood pressure rising as I continued this line of thinking. "Edward's, you just can't have him control his. He's unable to really stop the voices, our thoughts. The only person he can't hear is me. And we've never been able to figure out why. I was what they call, his 'singer'. I'm really sorry, I guess I should have told both you and Dean this before, but I figured the story of girl falling in love with a vampire was enough for you to understand me and their crazy family. I never thought-" I streamed, my eyes tearing at all the false steps I had taken.

"No, I guess you didn't." Sam's face grew serious. Closing my eyes I tried to slow down my heart rate, just breath evenly. Why did I have to be such an idiot?

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Each of us in our own worlds, contemplating the actions we had both taken to get us here.

"He still loves you, you know." Sam finally said, turning to look at me, his head in between his hands.

"Who does?" I asked, looking at my long thin hands. Alien hands, special, Renee used to call them. Special enough that I could kill with them. Course, she never would have guessed they had been made to take out the evil things of the world.

"Edward."

I gasped, flinching at the thought. "You're off there, Sammy. He sure as hell doesn't love me. He probably never did. I told you that before. I'm just a play thing, or at least I was." Twisting my hands I didn't expect what Sam said next.

"You are blind. He still loves you. I saw it today. Just like Dean does."

**Dean's POV (OMG I hope I do this right!)**

God damn it Bella! Why hadn't she told me? Here I was, thinking to myself how I couldn't wait for this damn hunt to be over. For the vampires to be dead who were plaguing Seattle and then I would take Bella out on a date or something. That was how the order was supposed to go. We'd go somewhere, take a mini vacation with Sam tagging along, and I would tell her how I truly feel. How much I wanted to hold her like I'd done for the past few nights. Instead, I hear growling from Edward. Bastard. He gave up Bella. She's not a play thing; she's a fucking human being who deserves to be loved. And God do I love her, her soft white legs, straddling me as we…

Edward almost pounced on me, causing my mind to falter. "She's not yours."

I hadn't understood what the hell he had meant, until Bella thought it perfectly all right to explain.

No wonder he was growling at me. I was having a very lucid daydream about his ex-girlfriend, who he was still very protective of. No, I thought, he's still in love with her. He wouldn't have tried to toss me down and beat the shit out of me otherwise over who was holding her when she passed out.

Walking past the school I thought of Bella going there. How cute was she when she went there. Did she carry a book bag and look nervous? Did she have any school girl fantasies needing to be fulfilled? "Gah," I gasped, pissed off at myself for thinking about the only thing I thought about besides hunting and Sam. Women. Who needed them? They were only good for one thing. Bella, my brain chanted, Bella's better than others. She can hold her own.

"Shut up," I sputtered. Looking around I checked to make sure no one else had heard me. I must appear to be loony tunes if I'm talking to myself.

Spinning around I started back to the bed and breakfast, what a really horrendous idea. Who wants a bed and breakfast anyway?

The walk had helped clear my head; it had certainly cleared my nose. Damn thing was flowing like a faucet from the cold and wet. I had to use my sleeve to stop it from dripping everywhere. How could anyone stand to live in such a crappy area for their whole lives? I couldn't even understand how Bella had suffered through it for a year. I pulled my leather jacket tighter around my chest as I continued to walk. Had I really gone that far? It had felt like only a few blocks to the bed and breakfast. Glancing behind me I expected to see Edward, the jealous ex-boyfriend every where I turned. Being snuck up on would leave me defenseless. I didn't even have my handy werewolf claw knife, dumb move, Dean.

Smiling, I thought of how dad had passed it off to me for a Christmas present. I had always known I would be a hunter, since the age of ten. Sure, it was strange that I had gotten it for a present, but it came in useful against vampires. Not much else affected them besides their own kind and werewolves.

Spotting the inn a few blocks ahead I began to hurry. Never would anyone say I was scared of being by myself, but with a pissed off vamp walking these towns, I was a tiny bit freaked and cold. Did I mention cold? Fucking freezing out here.

Besides I missed Bella, even though I wasn't going to admit it to her. She hadn't deserved me screaming at her. She'd screwed up, but who hasn't?

Rushing into the lobby area, I found a man, mid forties wearing a cardigan sweater. God knows how gay he is, Mister Rogers much?

"Hey, my brother just got us a room," I huffed out, catching my breath after the quick work out. Perhaps using the word _us_ wasn't such a good idea, I shuddered internally at the thought of him and me-

"Your _brother_," the receptionist said, wiggling his eyebrows in my direction trying to emphasize what he thought our relationship constituted, "is in the little miss moppet room, straight up the stairs and the first door on your left."

I was just going to leave it alone, but- "He's my actual brother, dude," I muttered, hurrying past the idiot to find Sam and Bella.

"Hey," I said, barging through the door after running up the stairs. "What a creeper," I said, looking at Sammy.

Grinning he looked up and replied, "I _know_ man. Thank God Bella's here, or else he'd think we're freakin' gay. Not like we haven't heard that enough times."

The smile beginning on my face stopped before it had even started. Bella was paler than usual, her breath coming out in gasps as she stepped towards me. "Dean," was all she murmured, wrapping her arms around me, and I was gone. Fucking gone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Again, you realize these characters don't belong to me.**

**A/n: I think this computer has become permanently attached to my lap. And believe me when I say I know what the final outcome will be, but the characters have their own ideas.**

Chapter 14

I didn't want to believe Sam. Believing would only give way to hope that someone could possibly love me. Renee, I knew still loved me, although she probably didn't know if I was alive or dead. Sam cared for me in his own way, a type of brotherly love. That was probably true for Dean as well; Sam must have gotten it wrong. He must have seen something and taken it for something else. Flustered I shook my head, dispelling any lose thoughts from taking over. Nothing would ever happen between Dean and me. There was just as much chance of me and Edward getting back together.

As soon as Dean walked through the door, I realized I had been holding my breath. Waiting for him to get there, thinking of my 'what if' for him and me.

The tiny room had seemed empty with only Sam and me being in there. Now that was simply ironic, since Sam could have spread his arms and legs out to the corners of the room and it would have been completely full.

"Dean," I whispered, marching into his arms, my face draining of color at the bad thoughts crossing through my mind. His shirt was soaked, damp from being outside in the wet air, of running, for some reason. My heart beat frantically pounding through my shirt in my imagination, why had I been so worried? Nothing too bad happened in Forks. James and Victoria had been the worst thing to happen in this town in years; James was dead and Victoria had disappeared quickly after his demise. Some days I wondered where she was, but I shrugged it off. She'd been out of my hair for four and a half years, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in its mouth and complain. For all I cared she was gone for good, hopefully someone had torn her apart.

Dean buried his face into my hair, leaning against me as I pulled myself together. I breathed in deep, smelling the evergreen that clung to his clothes from being outside for so long. "I missed you," I mouthed into his shirt knowing no one would hear me. Neither of them needed to know how much I had missed them when I had taken on hunting by myself, or the fact that I missed Dean as intensely as I had for the past- thirty-forty minutes. Being around them for only a few days made me realize how much I missed them. Holding onto him like the hot life preserver he was. I didn't notice Sam walk out the door, I simply felt the breeze and heard the door shut and I knew we were suddenly alone. Sam hated being around when we had our "moments", and I certainly didn't want this to be considered a moment, at least, I think I didn't. And it wasn't like I knew how to warn him that we were going to have one. Maybe we should go put a sock on the door like college kids did. Oh, well. My bad.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled, pulling back enough to see his face. Dean's sweet green eyes were weary, full of the mistrust I deserved. His soft cherry lips pulled tight across his face.

"I thought you said he was dead," Dean muttered, roughly pulling my arms from behind his back. Stepping away from me he stalked across the room. Sitting at the edge of the pink bed, he began rubbing his face between his hands.

"I-" stopping I tried to think back to when I could have possibly said that. After almost getting hit by that car, when I was panicking, trying to avoid getting the Cullens involved at all costs. Great.

"_He's not worth dying over," Dean muttered when I had finally finished my story. I glanced down at my intertwined hands. _

"_He was to me." It was the truth. I had wanted to die when he left. Sure, I hadn't gone out of my way to find Laurent, or to get hit by a car, but I had certainly picked a profession that shortened my life by years, if not decades._

"_Crap Bella," Sam said, wiping his hands over his face. _

"_What?" I wanted to scream, but it came out in a gasp, "The love of my life _dies_ and I think you'd understand of all people Sam."_

"I said it because in a way it's true, I guess. He is dead… to me. I haven't talked to him in four years, because I try not to think of him. I try to imagine he died out there, somewhere far, far, away. And," I paused. How was I going to phrase this? "I, um, well, I didn't want to get their help. I was hoping we could take care of it all on our own. And I _was_ overemotional," I added. I mean, I _had_ almost been hit by a car. My shoulders slumped though, my head down at the thought of the three of us against twenty vampires. It was hard enough to kill one with three people. Indestructible things they were, one of the hardest supernatural things to kill.

"Can't you understand where I'm coming from Dean?" I asked, my voice shaking as I sank to the ground in front of him, pleading with him to understand as I stared up into his deep green eyes. The silence was heavy in the air, and waiting for an answer or response to anything I had said would have been amazing, so I twisted my hands, waiting.

Finally, I looked down, looking anywhere but at his face. The guilt was too much.

"I just don't get why you would lie about it," Dean's gruff voice spoke finally. I glanced up, hoping to see a smile in his eyes, a twitch at the corners of his mouth that he was going to forgive me.

But nothing was there after I searched his face.

"Dean, why can't you get it?" I said, exasperated that we had to go there again about me and Edward. Standing up I walked over and began to ruffle through my bag on the bow spackled table, wondering if I should start packing. This hunt wasn't for me. I had shown the brothers the way to fight the battle; shown them their allies, but I couldn't handle it obviously. Too many missteps in the past few days. I was becoming soft around them because of my feelings for Dean. Coming face to face with an angry vampire, even an ex was a huge mistake, never carrying my weapon anymore, not having it underneath my pillow. All of those little forgetful things would end up getting me killed. So what if I was staying with the Winchesters? Everyone's gotta protect themselves and not depend on others all of the time.

"I want Edward to be dead!" I screamed, turning to Dean. I had found my flask in the bottom of my bag. Unscrewing the top I took a swig of Sailor Jerry's, it went down screaming. Lifting it to my lips again, I pulled hard on the strong liquor before yelling, "I don't want to feel my stomach twist every time I think of him. I don't want to have to live like this anymore! I'm just so sick of it all…" I cried, my legs giving way underneath my weight, what a light weight I had become. I crashed onto the floor the flask still in my hands. My free hand covering my face as I gasped for breath. All I wanted to do was curl up, never move. I had been fighting the past for four years, avoiding it, hiding it in my heart, and it was finally coming back to bite me in the ass. Renee had said never to bottle things up; it would only cause problems later on. Should have listened.

"Bella, Bella, are you all right?" Dean questioned, quickly pulling me into his arms as he knelt beside me.

"No," I moaned, trying to push him away from me. Raising the flask to my lips I chugged. God help me. Why couldn't he just understand? He didn't want me. I was only going to bore him quickly. I wasn't all right anywhere, head, heart, you name it, I wasn't good. I was hurting.

Pinning my arms to my sides, the flask tumbling to the ground, he pulled me into his lap, shushing me as I fought crying, yet again. I swear if I wasn't on my period…

"Shh," he whispered into my ear, pushing my hair behind me ear. "It'll be ok," he murmured, pressing my hair away from my face. Freeing one of my hands I twisted it into his shirt, something to hold onto.

"Dean, please," I groaned. Why was he making this so difficult for me?

"What princess? What do you need?" he murmured, breathing in my hair, my green apple lotion that he had so diligently put on this morning. Had it only been this morning that we had been so playful and full of life? Joking around and getting into some grey areas we weren't used to? It felt like it was days later, years later, and I was old and wrinkled being coddled yet again. Course, this time I probably needed it unlike at other times.

Looking out the window I saw it had grown dark, the moonbeams coming through the clouds. "Bed," I whispered, my brain finally going fuzzy after the four or five shots in two minutes. God how I wished this day was over. Picking me up bridal style Dean walked me over to the hideous bed of bows and pink. He pushed back the comforter, laying me underneath the soft silken sheets. Who would have believed it would have felt as nice as it did? If only I weren't feeling like the world was ending as I crawled into the fetal position. Perhaps I could get out of here. Leaving would cause them pain, but one day maybe they would understand. It was always an option.

"Do you want something to eat?" Dean asked before lying down with me. "You probably should." Of course he wanted me to sober up.

"No, I'm fine. Water," I murmured although I hadn't eaten in hours. Water would help with the headache I would have in the morning, even though I really didn't care. What was a little bit more pain to suffer through. Dean and Edward don't like me. Enough pain to deal with right there. "Make him go away."

"I will baby, I will," Dean answered, watching me as my eyelids became heavy from finally dealing with things that should have been dealt with years ago. Getting up Dean went to the bathroom, his footsteps the only sound in the room. The faucet came on, water going into what I could only guess was a cup for me.

"Thanks," I said after feeling the cup touch my lips. Sipping a little bit of water from the tipped up glass I smiled internally, he was being nice to me after everything. Hearing it put down I turned to look at him.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, princess?" He whispered his voice next to my ear as he continued to comb through my hair.

"Missed you," I sighed, my eyes closing for the last time, sleep dragging me under.

"I missed you too, Bells."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/n: So today I was hoping to get this out early, sorry. It didn't happen.**

Chapter 15

I awoke to find Dean passed out next to me. A tiny punching match going on in my brain thanks to my need to drink last night. Sam still hadn't come back, probably getting another room because we might be having another moment or he could be staying in the car. Perhaps it was for the best, one less person to sneak past. I decided as soon as my eyes had opened, squinting into the dark that I was leaving. I couldn't survive this mission if I stayed. The only way for me to be strong again was to leave. The Winchesters might not forgive me for abandoning them, but hopefully one day they'd understand. Maybe one day Dean would see how I felt. "Fat chance," I mumbled, slowly inching my way towards the edge of the bed.

The carpeted floor kept my feet from making a sound as I stood up hesitantly. Avoiding looking at Dean I snuck over to my duffel. At least I was wearing clothes from yesterday of course but I wouldn't have to change. Zipping up my bag would be difficult, so instead I closed it up, hoping nothing would fall out as I tipped toed to the door. Please don't squeak, I prayed, clasping the cool handle and twisting.

No noise escaped as the door opened. Thank God. Dean was usually such a light sleeper. Today was simply his unlucky day in sleeping like his brother. Closing the door I zipped up my bag. There, I had made it out; the hard part was over; now, simply to find a ride out of this town. Hustling down the stairs I skipped a stair and fell, making a bit of racket at the bottom. "Crap," I winced, rubbing my poor butt, my head hurting twice as much as before. Bad luck at being clumsy.

Hurriedly I threw my bag over my shoulder, running for the door. No one sat at the front desk; hopefully I could get out without a key. Finding the knob easy enough to turn I ran for it. Praying Dean wasn't on my tail for falling down the stairs.

The air was frigid as I jogged through the pitch black night. The highway was to my right I recalled, running towards it I thanked my lucky stars from making me run. Running as much as I did, helped in keeping up my endurance. I would be long gone from this town by morning. As I reached the guard rail catching my breath, I stuck out my thumb, hoping someone could see me, since there weren't any lights on the road. Please let there be a friendly trucker around. Headlights came towards me, first chance for the night. The car pulled over and as I made my way towards the passenger side I recognized the plate.

Turning I flew in the opposite direction. Please don't let him catch me; please don't let him get me.

"Isabella!" I heard. The tires screaming as the driver reversed on the shoulder, following me. "Stop!"

I didn't answer. If I did I would lose breath then I would make it that much easier to catch me.

My duffel hit the ground as I jumped the rail. No way was he going to go off roading in his car. I heard the brakes protest as they came to a quick halt, the car door opening as he jumped the fence after me.

My foot hit the wrong spot on the grassy hill going down from the highway and I fell, twisting my ankle. Screaming, I clutched it. Damn it if it didn't hurt!

"Isabella Swan," he choked out, finally catching up to me.

"Dean Winchester," I huffed, wincing at the pain coming from my ankle.

"Why did you run," he barked, coming over to look at my already swelling ankle. Pushing up my jeans and pulling off my boots tentatively Dean looked at the wound. It would be black and blue for weeks and swollen for a long time.

"Because," I muttered. Why not act like a five year old? I wasn't going to be going anywhere soon with this sprained ankle. Vacation for one please. Actually, it would probably be going to the hospital to see Carlisle. Goody.

Picking me up, none too gently, Dean scrambled up the hill to his waiting car. I leaned down to grab my duffel as we walked past it. Dean wouldn't have stopped and gotten it otherwise. After somehow opening the passenger door, since I wasn't willing to help, Dean set me in the seat, my duffel in my lap. He didn't toss me like I deserved, instead placing me easily into the seat, my ankle not hitting the door.

"Thanks," I gritted between clenched teeth, before he slammed the door shut. Damn. Now I really would need some liquor or pain killers. "Don't take me to the hospital."

"What do you mean," Dean growled, getting into the driver's side. "You need to go to the freaking hospital. It's going to be the size of an elephant's leg in a few minutes." His face was furious, and even though his eyes were bloodshot, he still looked worried.

"Just take me back. I won't be doing any escaping with a bum ankle."

He pulled out, burning rubber as he swiftly made a U-turn on the two lane highway.

"Great driving," I smirked, being a pain in his ass to avoid thinking about my pain.

Dean stayed silent though, lost in his own thoughts as we drove back to the dumpy bed and breakfast. Ruffling through my duffel I found my pills at the bottom. Bottom's up, I thought, taking three painkillers at once.

"Ew," Dean said, disgust written on his face by my display.

"What?" I asked. I didn't chew them.

"Nothing."

He carried me up the stairs. I should have been glad he didn't sling me over his shoulder as we headed back to our room. I smirked. _Our_ room, how nice it would be if it were actually ours.

"Stay there," he said, throwing me onto the bed. Finally, he was speaking.

"Yes master," I mumbled, before Dean stuffed a pillow under my ankle. "Why are you taking care of me? I can do it myself."

"Obviously you can't," Dean huffed, before going into the hall to find some ice with a bow covered bucket in his hand. He would probably have to head down to the kitchen to find some, but I wasn't going to tell him to make it easier.

Returning triumphant by the crooked smile on his face he tossed some ice onto one of our wash cloths before placing it on my leg. I jerked the ice almost as cold as being outside. His smile grew as he saw my reaction. Jerk was taking pleasure out of this.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked again as he went to go look for something to bandage my ankle with.

"Because someone's got to," he remarked, looking through his first aid kit. Always gotta carry one if you're a hunter, never know when you'll have to sew yourself up.

"Well if it's such a hassle give me the tape. I can do it myself." I grabbed at the tape he found in the kit.

"It's not a fucking hassle Isabella." Oh pulling out the full name. Who's annoyed? "I want to take care of you for God's sake. I fucking like you, but you don't seem to get that."

"Wait. What?" I asked, touching his hand with mine to stop him for a minute, a jolt of electricity running back and forth between us. My mind was a jumble. "You like me," I whispered, staring at his face. The anger was gone, the frustration, annoyance. He just looked tired and hurt his smile no longer in place.

"I-like-you. God Isabella. Are you blind?"

My mouth dropped. Sam had been right. I hadn't seen it clearly, just like I never saw anything clearly including myself.

"I like you too," I replied hesitantly. A genuine smile building on my face. "I've always liked you." I looked down, avoiding his gaze. Had I said too much? Not enough?

I saw his hands grasp my face, looking up, I found his eyes boring into me, a grin across his face. Pulling me to him he crushed my lips to his. Sweet, yet urgent. It had seemed like days since we had last kissed. The sparks turning into flames as our bodies became entangled. My lips attacking his neck, his nibbling at my ear. We couldn't get enough of each other. The passion was there, building until we felt like we would burst. Taking off his shirt I feasted on his six-pack, long lean muscles hiding under a garment that wasn't needed.

I bravely took off my shirt, never having done it before I was nervous, but trying not to let it show. My laced bra standing out against my pale skin. My face flushed as he simply stared down at me, hovering over before greedily coming back to my mouth, a smile on his lips.

"Beautiful," he murmured, trailing kisses down my neck to the sensitive area around my neck, fondling me through my bra rubbing me through the thin fabric. Feeling braver due to the comment I raked my fingers down his back, bringing out a hiss from his mouth that was pressed against my skin. His erection was becoming painfully confined as it pushed my thigh. Courage taking over, not thinking I would be rejected, I snapped open his jeans button, unzipping his pants.

Dean, not one to be behind in the game was already pushing my jeans off by the time I had unzipped his. Carefully he pulled them off my bruised ankle, gently working the fabric all the way down before kissing my inner knee, my thigh. I was on fire with wanting him. I had never felt this way before, not once in the other relationship I had been in. I moaned when Dean kissed me through the fabric of my underwear.

"I guess you do like me," he chuckled, smelling my arousal as he bent down, pulling my boy shorts off me. Teasing me. I tried to hide myself. I felt completely vulnerable as he came up to me.

"You're wearing more clothes than I am," I pouted, my bottom lip sticking out.

"Sh," he sassed, a hungry look taking over his face as he stuck two fingers into my slits. He worked me like a violin, hitting all the right strings as I felt the knot in my stomach, the fire between my legs grow worse. I was going to combust someway if this-

And then I lost my train of thought as I began shaking, screaming out his name, fireworks going off in my mind, my knot exploding as Dean hit just the right spot, over and over again with his talented fingers. Finally I began to come down from the high, my eyes half clouded from what Dean had done for me, the morning sunlight streaming through the window.

"Dean," I murmured, watching as he crawled back towards me, his boxers tightening around his erection. Smiling, his perfectly white teeth showing, Dean pushed my hair behind my head.

"Yeah, princess?"

"That was amazing," I said, playing with the elastic band of his boxers.

"It's only going to get better," he mumbled against my skin before starting again on my neck. I would have a hickey tomorrow. Oh well, who cared besides Dean and myself?

Pulling at his elastic, I began to pull them down. Only to have Sam walk through the door.

"DAMN IT SAMMY!" Dean began cursing, rolling himself off me, throwing the covers over my half naked body. I blushed furiously, pulling the pink sheets up to my chin

"Fuck. God. I'm sorry," Sam said turning away. "But I had to come get you. The Cullens are waiting downstairs."

Great.

**A/n: Should I be afraid? Should I go run and hide? I'm such a tease! It will happen at some point, even if I've never written one before. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/n: LOL I really gotta stop leaving cliffhangers, but then you guys wouldn't read…and no more interruptions from Sam. Love the guy, but he just helps me become a tease. I promise, no crossing my little writer fingers, I swear!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own yada, yada, yada**

Chapter 16

It took us both a few minutes to compose ourselves enough to go downstairs. First, I had to find some underwear, since I wasn't wearing any. Dean needed a few moments to calm down. It was completely frantic in the room as we ran around, looking for clothes to wear, trying to look like we hadn't just about had sex. I swear, we were getting our own room soon, and Sam wouldn't be getting a key. The phone would be off the hook, and what else could possibly interrupt? Oh. And the apocalypse would be diverted, if there ever was one, and it _might_ stop us from having sex. Gosh, who would ever believe I was a virgin with as much sex I wanted to have with Dean…

Limping to my duffel, I pulled on my Winnie the Pooh bear pj pants, I certainly must look ridiculous, but they were the only pair of shorts I owned anymore. Besides, there was absolutely no way I would be able to wear jeans at this moment with my ankle hurting as much as it did.

"Aw, princess," Dean whispered as he watched me standing with most of my weight on my left foot. My right foot barely touching the floor. He came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, letting us have one more moment of peace before going down to face my ex's family. I leaned back, pressing my back against him, savoring the moment, because who knew if we would be getting another any time soon.

"Thank you," I said, before planting a kiss on his jaw.

"For what?" he mumbled, looking down at me, the twinkle shining bright.

"For understanding." I didn't add anything. Dean seemed to understand I was a screw up, that we all made mistakes and hopefully grew from them.

He raised a quizzical eyebrow at me, but didn't say any more.

"No problem," he replied quietly before kissing me on the forehead. I tried to stand up after that, using both foot for balance, but I winced as I put pressure on my right ankle. The wrapping Dean had put on it had helped, but anyone could still tell it was swollen.

"Dean, could you?" I asked, waving him over to my right side to help me walk. It looked like I was going to need to steal some crutches at some point, perhaps go and get looked at by a different hospital than the one here in Forks. No way was I letting Carlisle look at with, at least not without throwing a fit. Putting his arm under mine he helped me lean on him, even stooping a bit so I could have some leverage and put more weight on him.

The stairs would be a challenge. It seemed to take five extra minutes to avoid jostling me, but finally Dean and I arrived downstairs. Looking around we didn't spot any of the Cullens or Sam. Sam had left after delivering his message, a nice fuchsia on his face. Never walk in on us again, I scoffed. Hopefully now he had learned his lesson on that.

We found them in the breakfast/dining room. I mean, what do you call that room? It is a bed and breakfast, and do they feed you dinner? Confusing. I'll never go to one of these establishments again.

The group looked so cozy, like a happy family. Course, they were, just without Sam, but Sam looked quite happy with them. Had he forgotten the previous night? Looking over each person I soon learned why he was so content. Edward wasn't there. Going over with Dean at my side I smiled.

"Hello," my eyes flashing. Thank God Edward wasn't there.

"Good morning," the Cullens replied, one by one. Carlisle was genuinely happy to see me again, Esme almost on the verge of tears as she saw my current predicament. Rose and Emmett were keeping it together, acting like a couple and behaving. Alice and Jasper sat the furthest away from me, Jasper flinching a bit when he "felt" our presence. I could only guess that we reeked of our desire for each other. Seriously I had to wonder why the rest of them didn't wrinkle their noses when they smelled us and what they could only guess was us having sex especially since they probably heard us up there. How embarrassing, I thought, blushing at what they might know. Knowing vampires was a plague when they could hear and smell everything.

"Bella, dear, what happened?" Esme asked politely, eyeing my tender ankle, my arm still around Dean's neck. Why didn't Alice know? Didn't she usually tell all of them anyway? They should know already, just like they should have stayed AWAY this morning so we could have continued uninterrupted. I swear Alice was up to something.

"Um," I said, glancing at Dean for how I should reply.

"Sit here," Dean gestured, pulling up a chair for me to sit down in.

"Thanks," I said, my heart overflowing with the kind act Dean had just done for me. "You know how clumsy I am," I replied, glancing back at the Cullens. "I fell down the stairs and twisted my ankle. Dean's been helping me get around." There was no point in telling them about me trying to run away because of them. It would only hurt them more, and even if I didn't like them too much at the moment I wouldn't tell them. I didn't like to be the one to make people suffer, that's why I hunted the bad things, the things that caused so much heartache and destruction.

Dean stood behind me, massaging my shoulders, knowing the real reason for my injury.

"We're here to apologize," Carlisle said, getting down to business. His hands crossed in his business-like manner. "You came here to help us, and instead, we allow Edward to act hostile to you. I'm terribly sorry for how he's treated-"

"I _should_ apologize," I heard behind me. Knowing instantly who it was. I would never forget his deep musical voice for as long as I lived. "I am sorry, _Dean_." Edward sneered, walking into my view. I stared at his chest, avoiding his eyes. I didn't want him to see the hurt and fury behind my eyes. Why did he even come? No one wanted him here. Instantly I admonished myself for the thought. Thank goodness he couldn't hear my thoughts. Looking up, I suddenly wished he had heard them. His face didn't hide the disdain he felt towards Dean touching me or his desire as he looked me up and down. Did I have a bug on me or something? He'd never looked like that at me before in all my time with him.

Placing my hand on Dean's I waited a heartbeat before looking at Carlisle again. "If we're going to talk we need to head somewhere private, probably back to your house." I looked around, making sure the owner and none of the other occupants were wondering around and could overhear us.

"That's wonderful," Esme said, clapping her hands. Always the mother figure, wanting everyone to be happy and get along with one another.

"We'll be over in thirty minutes or so. Just let the humans eat something," I replied before Alice could get a word in. She would have had us over in ten minutes or less. Depending on who wanted to carry a person and run.

"Oh, we planned on that," Alice replied. "We have breakfast waiting back at our house. Thought it might make planning faster." She smiled, grinning at her thoughtfulness. Yep, she was definitely up to something and two could play at that.

"That's so nice," Sam's boyish voice answered. Maybe he should become a part of the family, although I don't think he'd look good pale.

"Um," I started to answer before Dean cut me off.

"Yeah, just let us get changed and whatnot. I mean, Bella takes like twenty minutes in the shower-"

"Dean," I snapped, punching him in the gut. Stop trying to piss on "his" territory. I'm not one to be peed on.

"We've got enough showers for all of you," Alice answered brightly, her quick thinking not helping.

"Alice," Carlisle hissed, cutting her off with a look. "That's enough." Ah, so there was something going on.

"We'll be over in twenty for breakfast," I replied, standing up abruptly, trying to get out of the room as fast as possible. Forgetting that my right ankle couldn't support me, I cried out in pain, almost falling over as I readjusted too quickly towards my left. I felt a cold hand under my arm as I found myself standing up straight. Edward caught me. He'd been right there waiting.

"Thanks," I said, shaking his arm off, before wrapping mine around Dean again. Dean had been fast at standing up, but Edward was faster. Vampire speed. Turning around I began to hobble towards the stairs again. Dean slowly keeping pace with me.

"What was-"

"Just wait," I replied. They could still hear what we were talking about. Although they would try and block it out to be polite, they could still hear it none the less. Some days I wondered how Carlisle didn't go mad at the hospital, hearing all the pained cries and screams as he worked.

Sam walked behind us, taking his time. By the time we had reached the stairs the Cullens were gone.

"Hold on," I gasped, walking up the stairs with my right foot gingerly. After finally reaching the top I asked. "What Dean?" Before moving towards our craptastic room.

"What was that all about with Alice?" he grunted, picking me up bridle style. This position must be easier for him or something, instead of moving as slow as molasses. Can't really blame him, I hate being the one slowing us down. I helped open the door though, he must have performed a miracle last night because today his hands were completely full.

"I'm not sure," I answered, "But she's up to something, that damn little pixie." My brain just couldn't figure out what after staying up close to 24 hours.

"I liked them," Sam murmured before closing the door behind him.

"Yeah captain obvious, we got that," Dean muttered, me smirking at his comment, before he placed me gently on the bed. The bed sure didn't smell, but I didn't have supersonic nose hairs or whatever it was that helped me identify smells. Where was the Magic school bus when you need it?

Sam frowned, before, "I'm gonna go take a shower." I guess we shouldn't be so hard on him.

"Dean, can you get me some pants out of my duffel please?" Gosh this sure felt like begging. I could do it myself, if it wasn't for this bum ankle. Giving him my most angelic face I could muster I waited.

Huffing, he crossed over to my bag, ruffling through it for something that probably wasn't as short as my Winnie the Pooh shorts. "Here," he said, tossing a pair of khakis at me. Now that was helpful. At least these weren't too tight, not like the jeans I had worn last night.

"Thank you," I smiled, batting my eyelashes. Dean _loved_ saving girls in distress, so why wasn't he milking it for all this ankle was worth?

Bracing myself as I got off the bed, I leaned over, holding onto the chair as I pulled off my shorts. Right in Dean's face. Could I tempt him any more?

"Bella," Dean warned, watching me pull at my khakis, trying to get them onto my right leg.

"Yes?" I questioned. My eyes huge and innocent even though I knew what was jerking his chain.

"Do you need help?" he replied, running his hands up my outer thighs. Pulling in a ragged breath I instantly regretted teasing him. We certainly wouldn't be there in twenty minutes if Dean and I kept acting the way we did.

"Actually…" I heard the water shut off in the bathroom. "Yes. Can you help me with these please?" I giggled. Sam would be out in a few minutes. Naughty, naughty.

"Well here," he said. Sitting me back onto the bed's edge he began to roughly push the pants up, touching me anywhere and everywhere as he "helped" get them on. Kissing me on the ankle, spreading my legs so the pants would come up just right, caressing me through my slightly wet- soaking underwear. He would be the reason I combusted. And soon. Finally my pants were on, right in time for Sam to walk into back into the room. Good. No show for him.

Sucking in a deep breath to calm my rapidly beating heart I watched Dean go into the bathroom. He would need a shower, but today, I guess mine would have to wait. At least until I could stand on my own, or until I had help…

"I told you."

"Told me what?" I turned, looking at Sam as he finished toweling off his hair.

"That Dean liked you," he replied, throwing the ugly pink towel into the corner of the room. How masculine was that towel?

"Oh." My reply being cut short. He _had_ been right. "Yep, um," I stopped, not sure as to how to say it. "I'm sorry about you, you know." My blush rising in my cheeks at all of the moments he had caught us.

"Yeah," Sam said. "It's ok."

"Good," I shook my head. "Glad to hear it."

Dean walked out of the bathroom at that moment. Wearing a tight forest green t-shirt to match his eyes and jeans that clung to his sculpted thighs I could only sigh at his beauty.

"Let's go," he gestured towards the door. My smile at seeing him was replaced by a furrowed frown. We were going into the lion's den. I wasn't a lamb anymore.

**A/n: Don't worry I won't keep doing double notes, I promise. If I don't have an update up by tomorrow afternoon there won't be one. Work keeps the money flowing…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this adorable yorkie beside me.**

**A/N: I totally had this chapter done early but the download manager wouldn't allow me to update. sorry! blame fanfic for not being able to read sooner.  
**

Chapter 17

The ride didn't seem to take forever this time, and I secretly wished it had. Something was going on at the Cullen's house and I wanted to know, but then, maybe I didn't want to know. I had a small inkling deep down that I knew what Alice was trying to do, but I kept pushing it aside, hoping I was utterly wrong with my assumption.

Sam had mercifully let me sit up front. For what purpose I was unsure of. Perhaps the reason was because there was more room for my ankle to be propped up, or because I could hold Dean's hand then. Either way, Dean was happy and Sam was trying to catch a few minutes nap before our breakfast with the Cullens.

Soon I would have to ask Sam where he went on the nights he didn't return. My hope was another room or perhaps he slept in the car. Of course last night that couldn't have been the case. Dean had swiped the car to come after me, when I had tried to make a run for it. So, that left only one option, I prayed.

"We're here," Dean said, breaking the silence of the car ride. At least he didn't seem excited either, even if it was "free" food. The saying of course being: nothing ever comes for free. I sure as hell believed that right now.

"Great," I muttered, squeezing his hand for support.

"Stay," Dean commanded, slipping his hand out of mine to get out of the driver's side and come around to the passenger door.

"Yes, master," I scowled. Hearing a chuckle behind me I knew Sam was up. "Why don't you get out too, Sammy?" I huffed. I certainly did not like being waited on hand and foot. Opening the door cautiously, so Dean wouldn't get hit anywhere important I held out my hand. This reminded me so much of prom with Edward. Grimacing I pushed the memory out of my mind. Then, I had had a broken leg, now it was simply a sprained ankle. I was getting better at not hurting myself.

Sam got out on the other side, not wanting to wait on my slow and unhurried movements. No point in rushing now that we were already here and they heard us. Sam climbed the steps two at a time while Dean and I hobbled up. You woulda thought we'd been in battle before now the way he was acting with me. Another porcelain doll lover, great.

The knock was short and sweet, no need to even really knock, but they tried playing human for so long that it had become customary. Alice opened the door before Dean and I could even catch our breaths.

"Oh, good! You're here! Breakfast has just been made," she commented, practically lifting me through the door and towards the kitchen. Catching Dean's eyes over my shoulder I frowned. I was supposed to stay at his side, not be carted around by a petite sized energizer bunny.

"Now, we didn't know exactly what you would want, since it's been-"

"Four years," I cut in.

"Yes," Alice's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry about that." For a second she seemed genuinely sorry, her eyes lost their spark, her voice lower than usual. "But I'm going to fix it now. It won't happen again." She chirped.

"Yeah, sure," I replied in sarcasm. If she didn't stop talking to me I sure would cut off communication with her.

I was put down once we entered the kitchen. Alice let me stand by myself as I smelled a home cooked meal. Food that hadn't been processed, that smelled simply divine after four years of not truly being in a kitchen. I smiled, my eyes watering as I smelled pancakes, waffles, fruit, coffee, French toast, fruit salad that was sitting in a large bowl, and every type of bread and pork product I could think was lining the kitchen counter. Maple syrup filled a small glass pitcher with butter warming next to it. This was the breakfast buffet of buffets. We wouldn't be walking out with our jeans buttoned after this meal.

"Oh, my," I breathed in, delicious.

"I hope you're hungry Bella," Esme said a smile on her face as she turned away from the kitchen sink. I hadn't even seen her standing there; I was so enraptured by anything other than doughnuts. Dean and Sam joined us then, their jaws dropping at the amount of food we were supposed to consume. They wouldn't be hungry for a week after this meal.

"Wow Mrs. Cullen-" Sam gasped.

"Esme, please, Sam."

"Esme," Sam corrected himself. "Thank you."

"If you're ready go ahead and start. The rest of us will be down and back in a minute."

I wondered about that. They had known we would be coming in a short time. Why would they go out? Did they go hunting? Or were they planning something else? The thought took a back seat as we grabbed a plate, loading it with food. I hadn't eaten in close to a day and neither had the boys. Our schedules made it so hectic that some days we didn't eat the healthy amount the FDA required. If we were lucky, on a hunt we would eat two meals. Anything besides that was a blessing.

Sitting down at the dining room table we chowed down. Perhaps maybe one more plate full and then I'd be full. The guys? Who knew? They ate like the bottomless pits they were, never being full until they were about ready to burst. We'd be lucky if we could leave later. Hopefully the Impala could carry our weight all the way back into town.

We ate in silence. Esme and Alice leaving us alone with our meals. Once we were finished they would know and bring the others in. Hearing a loud boom broke our trance on the food. Darting our heads in both directions we were on high alert. The butter knives at the ready, like they could actually do much against demons or vampires. Damn it for not being prepared. Then, a loud laugh carried in through the house. Emmett. Why hadn't I figured it out before?

"It's ok," I replied, keeping my voice low. "It's just Emmett, being Emmett."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked a growl in his throat.

"Oh, you'll see. Come on." I grabbed Dean's hand. He would still have to help me outside to see what stupid thing Emmett was doing now. Sam wanted to lead the way, but not knowing the house as well as I did I tried to hurry towards the back from where the noise had apparently come.

Outside the Cullens sat, watching as Edward and Emmett wrestled. It was a favorite past times of Emmett's to see who would win. He was never very good against Edward, since he would give away his tactic seconds before trying to perform it. Course, Edward knew what everyone was thinking, everyone except me.

Edward sidestepped a lunge of Emmett's, leaving him pummeling into the ground, digging up the lawn Esme had diligently worked on. Instead of being mad, Emmett laughed, while Edward smirked. Turning to catch Esme's face I saw a smile planted on it, as she shook her finger in their direction. She might be trying to look disapproving, but it wasn't really working.

Tapping his skull, still smiling, Edward said, "I know."

Laughter reverberated through the trees as Emmett got up, crouching back into a wrestling position.

The Winchesters smiled as they watched Emmett never give up against such an opponent. Personally, I didn't get why they were fighting. Usually Emmett and Jasper would go at it, but I guess today Edward had volunteered. I wish for once he didn't use his powers, have to fight like an equal would be interesting. Course Emmett had more strength than most vampires, and that didn't go away easily either, so it would never be fair.

They fought for another ten minutes, neither really getting a good handle on the other before calling it a tie. Dean and Sam laughed until they were about to throw up at some moments. Emmett just made things all right.

Leaning against Dean for support, the Cullens, the Winchesters and I walked back towards the table. In a matter of seconds Esme had cleaned it up, the wood glistening again, allowing us to sit and go through the strategy that would hopefully keep us all from being killed.

"So?" I prompted. "Tell us more Jasper about what you think is happening." I turned to glance at Jasper who was sitting on the other side of the table.

"Well," he said a small smile lighting up his face, his past having a purpose finally. "There are going to be quite a few newborns. They should be easy to kill."

"I don't like the own idea of us killing our own kind," Carlisle sighed.

"It must be done," Jasper's tone finalizing any thought of backing out or arguing with the idea.

"How can we take out _that_ many when there are only ten of us?" Sam asked, glancing at all the faces at the table. "That's probably two a piece from your last estimate and we're not all invincible."

"That's right," Dean spoke up, grabbing my hand under the table. "It takes two hunters to bring down a vampire. We can't do that. It's a suicide mission."

"Then why did you come?" Edward muttered under his breath. Everyone had still heard him even though he had been quiet. Why didn't he just say it normally? Was he trying to be polite and hide it for someone's benefit?

"Edward," Esme chastised her voice soft but firm.

Edward's gaze dropped to the table, but his eyes were watching me through the reflected surface, his eyes changing color before my eyes.

"We'll set a trap," Jasper finally spoke, his voice certain of success. "Or, if not that, we'll bring in reinforcements." He shook his head. "It should work."

"What should work?" Emmett asked, turning to look at his brother. The rest of the family was quiet, Edward was sputtering before Jasper could even answer the question.

"Absolutely not. No way is that happening Jasper."

"What?" the rest of the family questioned, our curiosity piqued.

It was several minutes before Edward and Jasper stopped glaring at each other, then Edward answered, his eyes black, "Jasper wants to use Bella as bait. Sheding some blood causes frenzy in newborns." His voice was full of regret at the end, as if he had never wanted to meet me all those years ago.

"No," Dean's harsh voice rang out, his free hand hitting the solid oak table. "Not on your life."

I thought as he screamed, the wheels turning in my head. "I'll do it," I said my voice sure and steady.

"What are you talking about," Dean asked, turning to me, his eyes pleading for me to say no. His hands grasping my shoulders as he gazed at me.

"Jasper knows what he's talking about. Besides, I can't even fight; my ankle won't magically get better in a day, two days, however long before they show up. I'll just hurt myself even worse than right now if I try to fight."

Dean dropped his head. He knew I was right.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Sam asked his voice quiet. He knew I was going to be stubborn, but he still was worried.

"Yes," I said, glaring at each individual who might object to me being part of the plan. Edward tried to stare me down, his eyes a black pitch, but finally he hung his head in defeat. Sam simply shook his head, knowing I wouldn't back down.

Dean never looked up. He just clutched my hand tighter, holding onto me for dear life.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.**

**A/N: I probably won't be updating tomorrow. This might be the last chapter I write for this weekend. Thanks for the reviews, they make me smile.**

Chapter 18

"You're not doing this," Dean grunted as we walked towards the car.

"We're not discussing this anymore." I stated, my word finally becoming law.

I opened the passenger side door and climbed into the back. I didn't want to sit next to Dean at that moment. He was only going to argue with me over something that had been decided in my mind. Everyone knew I could be stubborn once something had been decided; this was one of those times.

Our ride back was quiet in my mind. "Hey Dean, you hungry?" Sam asked. I balked. How could he be hungry after that rather large meal?

"Yeah, actually I am," Dean grinned. Boys were always hungry.

They drove towards the small diner in town. Frowning, I watched as we parked in a spot close to the door. I wasn't going in; they would still probably remember me from my time going in with Charlie. Small towns and large memories always seemed to be the case. Even with my hat on I would be given double glances. Sunglasses would look suspicious inside, so there was a definite chance they would recognize me.

I stayed behind after getting out of the Impala. "I'll meet up with you guys later," I said quietly.

"Why?" Dean questioned, turning away from the door to look at me. No one had offered to help me out, Dean was pissed. Sam knew not to get involved. I could walk on my own given enough effort. I was strong willed, I could do anything I really needed to.

I shrugged. "I just need to do something. I'll meet back up with you at the inn."

Sam nodded his hair flopping into his eyes, and turned back towards the diner door, opening it for him and Dean.

Dean looked questioning at me, but finally he turned and followed his brother in.

I wasn't particularly hungry after eating enough of Esme's food to put a few pounds back on my bones, besides; I wanted to do something.

Walking slowly away from the diner I headed in the direction I knew I would find it. Everything when you were in town was reachable by walking. It was only a few blocks away from the center of town. The town was quiet, only a few people might have been able to recognize me if I hadn't been wearing my dark sunglasses and hat. I kept them around as a second skin in this town. No one could know about me, there would only be questions which would lead to weird and awkward answers.

Soon, I stood in front of the sign, breathing hot air into the iciness around me. Forks Cemetery. I would find Charlie in here. Sighing, I pushed open the gate, walking past the first few rows, looking for his name. Walking towards the back of the cemetery where the newer graves were, I found his tombstone.

_Charles Swan_

_1963-2007_

_Great man, protector, and friend_

My ankle had caused me issues to get here, and I fell to the wet ground now. It couldn't handle any more weight, any more guilt.

"Daddy," I whimpered. I should have been here for his funeral. His tombstone should say he was a great FATHER, a wonderful person. All of my school pictures he had kept on the mantel. Every award I had gotten in the year of being at Forks High had gone up there, all my A papers in English, my good grades in Biology. Renee should have been here to put down that he was an excellent husband although they hadn't gotten it to work. He had loved her even after she had left. Never changed a thing after she left their house here in Forks, he had kept it as a memento. Instead, he was surrounded by people that had barely known him and friends.

"I'm so sorry I haven't been here sooner. I should have brought flowers," I whispered, a tear slipping down my face. What a great daughter I was. "I should have called and told you I was all right. I hope Renee told you I was ok. I've missed you." I replied, more tears falling down my face. Thunder rolled in the background, rain was threatening like usual.

"I've been good," I spoke into the silence. I hoped he could hear me from here. "I'm doing something for the world as well, protecting people, just like you. One day," my voice broke, "the world is going to be a better place because of you and me." I sobbed; I wasn't able to speak for a few minutes. Placing my hand on the tomb I rubbed away dirt from the lawnmower. Couldn't they clean up? This man had protected them for so long and this was the thanks he received after death? I pulled at the weeds surrounding the stone, people of Forks could be so mean.

"I'm- I'm happy Daddy." I had never called Charlie daddy before, but I felt something break. I should have called him Dad more often instead of Charlie. I had made another mistake and this one I couldn't fix.

"I found- I found a good guy, someone that's not Edward…" I said, wiping away a tear and looking around. I gasped; Dean and Sam were several feet away, watching me.

Pushing myself off the wet ground I hobbled over to the Winchesters standing a few feet away. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?" I seethed. They weren't supposed to know, they weren't supposed to be here.

Sam appeared taken aback by my voice, perhaps rethinking if it was a good idea sneaking up on me, but Dean stood his ground. "Why didn't you tell us?" Dean whispered, gesturing to my father's tombstone.

"Because it was none of your damn business!" I screamed, pissed that they had been listening to my conversation. "God! Must I tell you _everything_? Do you need to know about my childhood? How about the fact that Renee doesn't know if I'm alive or dead? What _else_ do you need to know? My father died. I _wasn't_ here for him." I sobbed, dropping to my knees again, placing grass stains into my jeans, cold into my bones. Then, I felt drops of water falling onto me. It was raining, and it was only making me colder and growing worse.

I held my hands up to my face, crying into them. My breath heaving as I gasped for air. It felt like my insides were falling to pieces. Hands pressed to my back, softly rubbing my back up and down. "Shh, it's ok," Sam murmured his voice to my left. The hands warmed my back as I continued to stare down at my hands. Finally, I looked up. Sam knelt a couple of feet away, which meant Dean was comforting me. Strange.

"My dad was a good man," I started out, my voice quiet. "I left after Edward told me he didn't really love me. I never went home after that day. I disappeared, I just… I never called him to tell him I was ok." I breathed in a deep breath, my breath stuck in my throat. I was pulled to my feet by Dean's strong hands; I fell into his chest, his hard arms holding me tight. I let out one more sob before trying to finish.

"He never knew I was still even alive. I-" one more breath. "I didn't even go to his funeral. Renee, she hopefully told him I was ok. But I'll never really know. I had to cut them off from my new life. I couldn't let them get hurt, because of…because of what I do now." Dean simply gripped me tighter as I continued my story. The rain pelting us now, all of us growing wet with the never-ending downfall.

Finally I looked up, after taking a few seconds to collect myself. Both faces were drawn tight, frowns splayed across their faces.

"It's ok, I'm ok," I said, wiping my tears off my face with the back of my hand. My hat was soaked, my clothes clinging to my skin. This day couldn't get any worse in my opinion.

* * *

**Dean's POV**

I saw her leave, limping off away from the diner and the motel. It piqued my interest, and by the way she had been acting I was hoping she wasn't going to do anything rash, so I changed my mind, as only a girl can make me do.

"Hey, Sam," my voice came out harsh in the quiet space between us.

"Yeah," he replied, looking up from the menu he was holding in his large hands.

"I'm not hungry. I wanna find out where Bells is going."

"Dean, I don't think we should. She seemed like she needed some space," he answered, staring into my eyes as he shook his head.

"Sam, I'm worried."

He grinned at that. "I know. Are you sure? She's going to be pissed."

I nodded. Putting our menus on the table in front of us we stood up, leaving just as quietly as we had entered. They would miss our business I took it, since no one was really there, but I wasn't famished after Esme's food. Besides, I wanted to know why Bella would martyr herself for us. Why would she be willing to die to save us all?

Following at a distance, since Bella wasn't moving that fast, we saw her enter the cemetery. Was she going there to meet Edward? It seemed like a creepy place, but worthy of a vampire. We stopped several feet away when we saw where she had gone. To what I could only guess was her father's grave. Acknowledgement hit. She had lost her father as well, just like us.

The wind ruffled her short silken brown hair, but she didn't notice. Instead, she continued to talk to him, although we couldn't hear her. It seemed right. We shouldn't interrupt her. Just as I was about to tell Sam this and back up and disappear to the motel Bella spotted us. Crap.

And she was livid. Tears streaming down her face I could do nothing to stop her from screaming at us. Sam had been right. I wanted to apologize; I wanted to offer her my condolences and sympathy. At least both of us knew what she was going through; we could help her if she needed a shoulder to cry on.

At this moment she needed one. Falling to the slick ground I watched as she collapsed onto herself. This must be hard, but I knew hard. My dad had given up everything, including his life for me. And that was a cross I would have to bear for the rest of my life.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I comforted her, rubbing her back, holding her, doing all the chick things I had seen on tv. Perhaps one day I would tell her about my great father. He meant the world to me, and if it took the rest of my life I would make everything right. But for now, I hoped it was enough that I was simply here for her.

"Come on," I murmured into her ear, her wet hair tickling my nose, pulling her closer so she could lean on me. "Let's go home." Of course, there would never be a home for us. But at least for now, we could call that pink hole in the wall our home and dry off before rejoining the Cullens for training on fighting the newborns. Checking on Sam I noticed him standing at Mr. Swan's grave his mouth moving. Perhaps he was talking to Mr. Swan, perhaps he was praying to the God I didn't believe existed, but silently I offered up my own words. 'I'll take care of Bella Mr. Swan sir. Wherever you are, she's in good hands.' A small upturn of my lips flashed across my face as I walked towards the gates of the cemetery, Bella on my arm.


	19. Author's Note please read for future

**A/n: Ok so before I begin again, I want to know if you would like werewolves to be in this. I wasn't planning on it and it would be shorter if they are not involved. SO, please tell me if you'd like them or not, I'll start again tomorrow afternoon writing. Send me a review, PM, whatever, and let me know, because this would be the point of no return…**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/n: Thanks for the reviews from the 7 of you. It's good to know some of you are reading. I should be updating again soon. Work was just horrific this weekend. **

Chapter 19

The walk back was awkward, but a needed for me. I leaned on Dean, using his body as my crutch yet again. It felt like it took forever, as Sam seemingly jogged ahead of us, but we finally reached the bed and breakfast again. It was already time by this point to return to the Cullens. They were probably wondering what had happened to us in this long period of time. Hell if I cared, but we needed them, just like they needed us. So, hopefully Edward would mind his own business and keep his hands to himself.

He would wait though; they all would in my opinion. I needed to know everything about what had happened to Charlie in the two years I had been gone.

"Can we make a detour guys?" I asked Dean after he basically carried me up the stairs into our room. Of course I was only speaking to one guy I soon realized. Sam had already claimed the shower in Sam fashion. Hurry just so he can get in first. Course, I would want one too, and with those long legs of his he'd always be first.

Dean shook his head. "First, you need to get dry. Then we'll talk."

I huffed, really? Not like I didn't know my own body and what I needed. I wasn't going to get pneumonia and I certainly wasn't going to get sick after getting a little bit wet. "I'm fine," I whined, stripping off my top. My bra was soaked through, my jeans sopping.

"Sure you are," Dean grinned, staring at my chest.

"Hello," I replied, my smile growing as I waved my hands in front of my chest, "my face is up here." Didn't Dean know I wouldn't appreciate being gawked at? Even if I was kind of asking for it…

"Sorry," Dean's smile full blown. "But, you're going to kill me if you don't go put some clothes on or something."

I laughed, shaking my head I limped towards the window. Outside the rain had stopped but it was still abysmal outside. Hearing the door to the bathroom open I glanced behind me to see a jean clad Sam. If only he was my type. Long, leaned, brown muscles on his upper body, a six pack clinging to his abdomen, everything was tight, but scars here and there thanks to badly done stitches. I turned back towards the window, closing my eyes.

Dean was perhaps the guy for me, but he wasn't as sweet as Sam. He didn't put up with my shit when I wasn't in such a weird state like I was now. This was my limbo: Forks, Washington. I couldn't seem to move forward and I couldn't look back too far without feeling pain. Dean had a rocking body too, perhaps more so than Sam, but at this moment Sam was in front of me half way naked and Dean wasn't.

"Hey Bella?"

I turned around, "Yeah Sam?" I kept my eyes on the ground, not looking at either of them.

"It's your turn. Why don't you go take a shower?"

"Nah," I muttered, shaking my head. "I don't need one." My voice must have given away the fact that I wasn't really there, that I was off in Pityville, thinking of my father.

"The hell you aren't," Dean replied, marching over to me and roughly throwing me over his shoulder. "You smell. I didn't want to tell you that before, but you do. So, you're taking one even if I have to give it to you myself. I want a clean Bella." With that said he walked me into the still steamy bathroom.

"Dean, no," I squealed as he turned on the shower head before throwing me in. I screamed as the water hit me. I hadn't thought he would seriously do this, or else I would have squirmed and tried to get out of it. The water was cold but thankfully it quickly warmed up, even in this old house. Dean just stood there.

"Some help please," I mumbled as I tried to stand up. Well, I didn't really try; mostly I was trying to-

"Here," he said extending his hand to help me up. Smirking I pulled on his hand, pulling him into the tub with me as well.

I burst out laughing at Dean's expression. Complete and utter disbelief. Served him right for making me take a shower against my will. Looking into my large chocolate eyes Dean pouted before grinning.

"Let me help you," Dean smirked, pulling at my jean's button to try and remove them.

"I think I can do that myself," I smirked. My bra was ruined, but I could still have some fun. I stood up gingerly, pulling down my tightened jeans. It seemed to take several minutes but finally I was able to get them off and I was standing in only my bra and panties just like a bathing suit. Course, Dean had seen me without a bra and underwear on, but this hardly seemed like the right time to be having sex for the first time.

Dean's eyes filled with lust, and as he stepped towards me I backed up shaking my finger in his face.

"Nuh uh," I murmured. "I don't think so right now." My blush rising as Dean continued to stare at me with a hungry expression.

"Oh come on," Dean whispered into my ear as he pulled me tight against his soaked black t-shirt. It clung to him, showing off his muscled arms. Oh well, it wouldn't hurt if I took off his shirt would it? Stepping back a step, I pulled at the hem of his shirt and quickly tugged at it. It was over his head before I knew it and I was kissing him in an instant. Quick, hungry kisses consumed us both as I pulled at his slick body, bringing him closer. I tried to bring him closer but I had stepped too far back unknowingly. Tripping over the rim of the tub I fell backwards landing on my back with a thud, Dean following right behind me, leaving our feet high in the air.

"Crap," I whimpered, wincing at the weight of Dean and my back throbbing from the hard tile. I tried not to move. God, if I wasn't just the clumsiest person on earth. Dean scrambled up, pulling me up gently as I grimaced at the pain from back.

"Sorry," he whispered. Neither of us knew what to do at that moment. We had now tried twice and both times had been unsuccessful in our attempts.

"Let's just clean you up," Dean finally said, walking me towards the still going shower. I climbed in using his hand as leverage and waited as he joined me. Neither of us spoke, we just simply became. He washed my back, lightly touching the sensitive skin, and then he began to shampoo my hair with my all natural shampoo and conditioner, going so far as to lather it up. It felt good as he massaged my scalp thoroughly. I closed my eyes enjoying the feeling as he gently took care of me, washing my body lightly with my pomegranate body wash.

I wanted to reciprocate the sweet gesture, but he would have none of it. Dean never did care about when he showered. He would do it in his own time, and probably take a cold shower at that. If I tried to wash him he would more than likely cause problems for us again. Leaning over me, Dean turned the water off before turning me around to look at my back again. It was tender; probably still red from hitting the ground with such force.

He helped me out, placing me on the ugly pink tiles. Grabbing a clean towel from the shelf he began rubbing my body with the soft towel in circling motions. Sighing I leaned back into Dean and then winced as I remembered my back was still in pain. I would need a few pain killers to get through the night.

"Thanks," I murmured, turning to look at him after he had toweled me off.

"No problem," he laughed lightly.

I pulled me orange scented lotion out from behind the bathroom mirror.

"Want help," he quirked his eyebrow. This was always his favorite part.

"Sure," I grinned, feeling like my old self again. Taking the lotion bottle out of my hand he rubbed the lotion between his hands, warming it up before smoothing it over my shoulders and down my back. I could never get it there, so I'm sure it was in dire need of moisture, wink, wink. The towel was on the floor, forgotten as Dean generously applied it to every inch of my skin that wasn't covered. I moaned at quite a few moments thanks to his skillful hands and the great amount of pressure he put to certain areas.

He combed my hair slowly, making sure there couldn't be any more tangles in it. Finally, there was nothing else that we could do without putting clothes on. Besides, I needed answers. I wanted to fill in the blanks and understand. Sam wasn't in the room when we both came out looking for clothes. I could only be thankful for that. He probably thought we'd had sex six or seven times by now.

Pulling my hair up behind my head I kept it there. Grabbing a louse t-shirt I pulled it on. My yoga pants would have to do for this visit since both of my jeans were dirty with stains or wet.

"What errand did you need to do?" Dean asked after pulling on some fresh clothes himself.

"I need to go see an old friend."

"Oh," was his only reply. "I thought you didn't want to see anyone if at all possible."

I shook my head. I hadn't wanted to really see anyone. "I need to see Jacob. I need to know what happened to my father after I left."


	21. Chapter 20

**A/n: I'll try and update tomorrow, I'm working a super weird schedule so we'll see. Thanks AmberSparks for the concern. It gets better when there are people who care about you ; ). **

**Disclaimer: You already know this. Once again, not mine.**

Chapter 20

Dean gave the ok for us to go to the reservation where Charlie had probably spent his last days. How had this happened? He was completely healthy when I was around him- well somewhat healthy. And then, a heart attack. It simply didn't make sense to me.

Driving down to the reservation we turned on the noise, Metallica. Something to keep us from talking about Charlie and me. Best idea in my mind, since I didn't feel like rehashing these things yet, they would all be dealt with soon enough.

"Where now?" Dean yelled through the music. The rain pouring down once again on the car hood. This rain needed to stop already. I didn't live in Forks anymore!

"Turn here," I screamed back as the car swerved turning to stop in front of Jacob's house. It still looked the same even after all these years. The small red house had faded in color, but the shutters were still in good shape, hanging on after all these years. A ramp was added to the side, so Billy could get up and down without the help of Jake. Stepping out of the car I felt all the air in my lungs give out.

"Jake!" I ran using my good foot as much as possible towards him, forgetting about the Winchesters and really my sprained ankle for a moment. He was huge! Smiling, Jake grabbed me, swinging him up and into his arms. God he was hot. I thought Dean was warm and Sam burning but Jake brought on a whole new level of heat to my scale. My legs flew around for a few turns, circling until Jake left me down.

"That was quite a welcome," I blushed, as he put me down on my feet, my hair beginning to cling to my forehead from the rain.

"Sorry," his voice was so low, so rough. "Just is good to see someone, takes my mind off-"

Dean and Sam came up behind me. I could feel Dean millimeters behind my back; I had become hypersensitive to him being around. Grinning I pointed to Sam then Dean, "This is the Winchesters. Sam and Dean. They're my friends."

"Nice to meet you," Jake gruffly replied, reaching around to shake their hands. I glanced down, his hand was huge.

"Jake, what happened to you?" I asked in awe, not really minding the rain as it hit me. When I had last seen him four years ago he had been a shrimp with long black hair and soft brown eyes. Gangly and not even ready to fill out his own shoes, he now was the complete opposite. His black hair was short, cut almost in military style, he was now close to six feet three inches tall and his body was not lean. He had muscles upon his muscles. His legs were strong and thick like tree trunks. His arms matched Emmett's in size, and his chest was a barrel of pure hard muscle. The only thing that was the same was his eyes, they were soft, but there was lining around them as if he had grown up too fast and was tired of being grown up, too much wisdom too soon. He made Dean and Sam both look like young teenage boys who played chess and wore glasses. I smirked, good thing they couldn't hear what I was thinking.

"I grew up, Bells. It's been four years. How, I mean, I thought you were dead. You went missing…" he paused, wondering in his eyes.

I frowned; did everyone think I was dead? I guess it had been a good thing in the long run. No one could get hurt by demons hopefully if Bella Swan was thought to be dead.

"Nope," I shook my head, "I'm here, alive." I tried to smile, but I felt like it was coming out in a grimace.

"Well, come on in," Jake said, ushering us into the small house that he claimed as his. He sat down in the armchair which didn't look comfy. Perhaps he was trying not to fall asleep, I thought as I looked at the dark bags under his eyes that had escaped my attention beforehand. Sam, Dean, and I sat on the old couch with the worn in cushion.

"What are you doing here?" Jake asked after we had situated ourselves trying to find a comfortable spot on the couch. I clasped my hands together, fidgeting a little bit as I decided on how to ask for the truth. Dean put his hand on my knee, rubbing it slowly, giving me the courage to finally speak.

"I came here because of Charlie. Jake, can you tell me what happened? To him, I mean." I continued to twist and turn my hands back and forth, giving them something to do, something I could focus on.

"Well, Bells," Jake murmured, his hands going to his neck to rub the sudden knot that had appeared. "After you disappeared, he wasn't the same Charlie I'd grown up with. He just kind of gave up. He didn't eat properly like when you'd been around; he drank beers when he was off the job and maybe even on the job. Dad had to push him to get out of the house. If he wasn't at work, he was at home. That's it. When you left there was no light in him anymore. It was like an empty body." Jake looked down, scratching his neck. There was no need for him to continue. I ruined my father's life by leaving. Edward had been a part of it too by making me believe I wasn't loved, I gave up on Forks because there was no reason to be there if Edward wasn't there.

"Wow," I mumbled. Letting my head fall between my hands I just sat there, in uncomfortable silence. "I'm the worst person ever," I whispered into my hands. No one needed to know how I felt about myself. My world was crashing around me. If I had stayed, perhaps Charlie would still be alive. Actually, he would be. There were no ifs on this.

"It wasn't your fault," Dean's voice came into my ear. I simply shook my head; of course he would say that. He liked me, and so he didn't want me to be in pain or unhappy.

"It is," I insisted, my face still being held by my hands. I never wanted to move from this position again.

"It is not," Jake barked. I glanced up. His face had grown stern, demanding in my understanding.

"Fine," I huffed, although I wouldn't let them know that it was my fault and I would never not blame myself. "How did it happen?" I asked, staring Jake deep into his dark russet eyes. His mouth was pinched like he had tasted a lemon, and I wondered what the matter was.

"He was visiting with Dad, having drinks I guess. I wasn't really here, I mean, I came home and the ambulance had just arrived. They think it was shock, at least that's what Dad says. I'm so sorry Bells." He looked down at the stain in the carpet. Had that been where my father had spilled his beer? Was this the spot where he died? The house took on a whole new meaning then. He could have been anywhere in this room or in the kitchen and then his heart just gave out. How fair was that?

"It's ok. Thanks for telling me what you know Jacob," I said, standing up from the lumpy couch. Dean and Sam followed suit, ready to do whatever I needed at this moment more than likely. I was ready to go home now. I wanted to get out of this town as quickly as humanly possible.

"Don't you want to stay? I mean, we should catch up or something," Jake rushed, standing up as well. "I don't even know what's happened to you for the past four years, and Sam, Dean, I'd love to get to know how you know Bells here," his face was pained as he said it. Like he was trying to forget a headache that was occurring, but I didn't want to tell him how I'd met them, or who they were. Not really.

"I can't, Jake. I'm so sorry. We really need to get going." We walked towards the door, but Jake blocked the way, his arms on the door frame, his massive body completely blocking out any light that might be trying to get in from outside.

"So, it's just a get the information and run sort of situation? Is that how it works?" Jacob sneered, his voice laced with panic at something.

Glaring up at Jake I nodded. "Get out of the way please. We have to be somewhere." Sam laid his hand on Jake's shoulder, trying to make a point, but Jake wasn't having it.

"Just a few minutes, I mean it must be a lot to take in."

Why was he trying to keep us here? I studied him then. His eyes appeared edgy, like he was waiting for something and every few seconds he winced, perhaps feeling a sharp pain cutting through his brain like a knife. Drops of sweat had begun to appear on his forehead, and I began to re-evaluate the situation.

"There's something you're not telling us," I narrowed me eyes up at him, seething that he would keep something from me. Of course I was the little hypocrite in that aspect.

"No, that's not it at all." He violently shook his head back and forth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then you won't care if we leave," I said, popping his arm up and walking under it, surprising him with my strength. I certainly didn't look like I had any muscle, but jackets sure can hide things.

The rain had stopped when we finally got around Jake. We stopped in our tracks on the porch when we saw them. Three enormous wolves standing a few hundred feet from the house, multiple colors ranging from a pale red to black appeared. I gasped, backing up against Dean. Where were our weapons when we needed them? In the car. Seriously, this was going to get us killed if we weren't better prepared. That meant no more making out with Dean and having a shower with him and forgetting to put on my knife holster. Bad Bella.

I tried to breathe calmly, feeling Dean's heart racing as we stared at the large wolves. Never, in all of my life had I seen a normal wolf that size before. It looked like it was two regular wolves pulled into one. Making any sudden movements could provoke them. We needed to find out first what they were before we did anything else.

"You're fine," Jake replied, stepping past us on the porch to look at the pack in the few seconds it had taken us to feel threatened. He nodded it seemed to them before they turned around, heading back into the trees. I watched in amazement as they simply disappeared, my mouth hanging open. All because of a nod.

"What the hell?" I screeched after the last tail vanished, flying into his face, staring him down. The sweat had disappeared. Instead, I found a hardened Jacob staring back. His stance that of a man ready to fight if backed further into a corner.

"You were safe. Now that you know your answers, _get out_," he hissed, walking back towards the door.

"They're shape shifters, aren't they?" Sam finally spoke, his voice the only noise in that moment. It didn't make sense. The wolves had been so quiet, not making a sound. Animals made sounds, even if it were just the rustle of leaves. Everything was beginning to come together after Sam said it. All the dots were being connected. Jake had told me all those years ago about the Quilete legends. How his people had turned into wolves to fight off the cold ones, the Cullens.

Jake stopped moving when Sam spoke, his hand on the latch to the screen door. His shoulders became hunched and turning slowly he looked at us.

"How did you know?" he asked, his voice quiet, that of the 16 year old I had known. I guess he had forgotten our conversation on the beach that day, all those years ago. Of course I couldn't blame him. I had as well.

I glanced at both guys, hoping one of them would explain since I didn't have the energy anymore. My friend was a shape shifter? That was mindboggling. It didn't make sense that that would happen to him.

"We're hunters," Dean said, clearing his voice. "We hunt the supernatural."

Jake's mouth hung open on the word hunters, but once Dean said supernatural he smirked, quirking an eyebrow in my direction.

"What?" I sputtered, "You can't believe in the supernatural? Yet, there are vampires and werewolves in Forks. How much of a stretch is that?" I gaffed. Unbelievable. Could my life get any weirder?

"I just-" Jake paused, shaking his head, smiling. "I never knew there was anything else. Bells you sure always pick the wrong crowd."

Dean threw his arm around me, pulling me towards him. "Thanks," I replied sarcastically, hugging Dean's chest.

"What's the_ right_ crowd?" Dean asked, anger seething from his voice.

"No offense," Jake quickly jumped, throwing up his hands. "I just meant, she was in love with a vampire," I mentally winced, my body shaking at the thought of bringing that up again. "And her friend is a shape shifter, and now she's a hunter of the supernatural. A thing her friend and her ex-boyfriend certainly are."

I smirked at that. He'd gotten me there. Sam laughed, yeah; I guess he was allowed that moment. I was a strange person for going from one extreme to the next.

"So, if you know my secret now, perhaps I should tell you the whole story of how your father died. And if I do, I want to know the reason you're back in town. Agreed?" He asked, holding out his hand for me to shake on.

"Agreed," I reluctantly shook. I warily hobbled back inside the small house, leaning on Dean as I went right back to the spot I had been sitting in before. Plopping down I waited.

"Your dad did die of shock Bells. He was leaving for the night, and he spotted me as I was changing back. The people here on the reservation all know. And our house is so far out of the way that no one sees me shift. I didn't see the cruiser that day. He had parked it in a different spot because, I guess, Henry Clearwater had been over and, I'm just," he scratched his head, burying his head between his hands for a moment. "I'm really sorry. It's my fault your dad died. If I had only paid attention more and caught his scent, but I was tired. Things are stirring in Seattle and we're preparing in case of war. I've been working double duty and I- there's no excuse."

Tears streamed down my face as I heard what happened. Charlie was surprised by Jacob. The surprise had killed him, and not me. But, I couldn't be mad at Jake, he hadn't done it on purpose.

"It's ok Jake," I crocked; Dean ran his hand lovingly up my back. I smiled at Dean then turned to Jake I reached across the open space and patted his knee. "You didn't mean it. It's ok. Charlie's finally at rest." I let my hand rest on Jake's knee, thinking everything Jake had said through.

Using the other hand I wiped away the tears staining my face, breathing in through my nose deeply I began, "We're here because of Seattle. I was brought here to get the Cullens to help." I thought for a second before realizing something, "And maybe we could use your help as well." My eyes twinkled I gazed up into his, hoping that this would help even out the playing field and perhaps even give us an advantage saving everyone I loved in the process.

I was met with a stern resistance, Jacob's eyes hard and calculating. So much for hope.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/n: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad to turn people onto the crossovers. If only more people would read them…**

**Disclaimer: Not mine; never has been.**

Chapter 21

"I can't help you," Jake replied to my questioning gaze. His voice was confident; he wasn't going to budge on this.

"Then who can?" I muttered as I stood up to leave.

"Sam can." He answered, looking up at my face.

Sam glanced at us, unsure of what to say before he shook his head. "No I can't."

I eyed Sam before looking back at Jacob who was still sitting down. "What?"

"Not_ you_," Jake muttered, sneering at Sam. "He's the chief of our tribe and head of our pack. But he hates the Cullens, so I doubt he'll want to help you."

"But it's worth a try," I interjected. "Then maybe we won't get ourselves killed." Jake looked crestfallen at that.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "maybe."

"Where is this Chief Sam?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

Pausing a second, Jake caught my eyes, his lips upturning at something funny. "He was the black wolf, the leader of the pack. One of the largest wolves that you saw today. He should be back at Emily's right about now." He grinned showing his straight white teeth, his dark brown eyes taking on a far away look, talking to himself, "I wonder if she has…" trailing off before coming back to the present. Shaking himself like a dog he said to us, "I'll take you there." Jake huffed, before pushing himself up from the armchair to walk back towards the front door.

In jeans and cutoffs in this cold, wet weather, Jake led us to a house a little less than a mile away on foot. The ground was soggy and marsh-like after all the rain. It would be torture for my ankle. It would have been better if we had simply driven there in my present condition. Dean and Sam both grabbed me under my arm and lifted, my feet not even touching the ground. How considerate, compared to Jacob. Of course I was tilted since Sam was four inches taller than Dean, but it was easier than trying to hop there on my own.

The house was a bit smaller, but I guessed that Emily must live by herself and that Sam was just her husband or something of that kind. They would be adding on or moving when they had kids- if they did have kids.

Walking through the front door and not even knocking showed Jake was family here. There was no way I'd let anyone in my house without my prior knowledge, but he seemed to own it in a way. Stifling a sigh we followed him in before Sam and Dean let me down. I rolled my eyes when they set me down gently, trying not to jar me. I was not a helpless damsel in distress or at least I didn't want to feel like one.

The room we were left in had a couch and a large TV. Multi colored bean bags lined one side of the wall and I could only wonder at why there were so many. Perhaps everyone hung out here when they weren't on duty or guarding the community. Did they all like each other? I wondered what would have happened if I had known of this before, if I had stayed here after Edward dumped me. Would I be with Jake? Would I have comforted him when he went through the change the first time? Question after question plagued my thoughts on it.

Finally, the three of us heard light footsteps heading towards us. A woman with three long scars down her face appeared. She didn't try to hide them; she didn't seem to even realize they were there, so I ignored them to the best of my ability. Brave woman. Besides those marks she was stunning, slight waist, long ebony hair, and eyes that twinkled. She went into the kitchen, running water for perhaps dinner.

The man who came in behind her looked grim. His hair was the length of Jake's, his stance that of a military man, and he was built similar to Jake. I guess all shape shifters are massive in build. As Jake stood behind him, helping me with my comparison. Sam certainly wasn't as tall as Jake, but he was taller than Dean or myself.

"Hello," I said, sticking out my hand. He reluctantly shook it, keeping a distance between us. "My name is Bella Swan."

"I'm Dean," Dean replied, pushing his hand out there, Sam shook it, his unease lessening as we tried to be friendly.

"And I'm Sam," Sam grinned. Meeting a person with your same name usually makes you smile, I don't know why, it just does. Like secretly you know each other, and trust has been built, just because of a name.

Chief Sam smiled in response. "Jacob says you have something to ask of me." His voice was deep, deeper than I would have thought and he had a glimmer in his eye.

"We need your help," I began, indicating that the three of us were there for aid. "We need help with the Seattle problem."

Chief Sam played dumb, his eyebrow quirked in response, "All of the murders and disappearances. I don't know how I can help you there."

"We believe you can," Dean replied, stepping to my side instead of staying being on my wing.

"You see we know about you and your _pack_," Sam stated.

Still he didn't give up on his charade, his eyes narrowed an infinitesimal amount, but besides that his expression didn't change. "Pack?" he questioned, his voice mocking.

"Yes, you see," I started, "we know that you're a shape shifter. That the Quilete men have been wolves for over a hundred years changing at will to protect their people from the cold ones."

Chief Sam frowned at that. I had used the term cold ones for the reason that they used it. That was how the legend had gone. Turning to look behind him at Jake I thought I heard a growl.

Jake flinched, but he didn't move.

"Jake didn't tell us," I hurried, looking at Jake's face as he paled a little bit, sucking in a breath. "We know things like this, because, well," I paused, "because we hunt supernatural things. Things that aren't normal." I added, trying to make him understand. We didn't hunt them, at least not if they weren't a harm to their community, which it seemed they weren't. More than likely they were the protectors from the "invaders" which would be the nomadic vampires.

"Fine," he finally huffed turning back towards us. "What are you proposing?" he grunted, crossing his arms in front of his wide chest.

I smirked a little. "For you to join us in stopping whatever menace is out causing all this chaos. We're working with the Cullens-"

Chief Sam literally roared at the name, swinging his arms at a lamp that had been sitting on his right. It broke into a million pieces, spraying across the ground with such force. I wouldn't have been surprised if some landed in the Pacific Ocean from such a hit. "Cullens! I don't work with the Cullens." He spat, his face turning a cherry colored under his russet skin.

"But," I murmured, my eyes growing huge at the Chief's reaction. My heart rate picking up as I began to understand the situation we had brought ourselves into. No wonder Jake had smirked and had not been willing to help. Dean stepped in front of me, with Sam joining him. A barrier from Chief Sam.

"They want to help man," Dean stated, pushing me back as he stood in front of an angry shape shifter.

"No! All they do is cause problems. They will kill one day. I know it. It is in their nature." Jake inched forward, waiting to restrain the chief if necessary. I was glad suddenly that he would be able to take on the chief. None of us had brought weapons and it took quite a bit of effort to kill a shape shifter. They were fast healers, and could handle all the throws and punches we sent at them. Shape shifters were known for having mood swings that could cause them to change quickly, which was beginning to help me understand why the woman had scratches down her face. A wolf had caused it, yet she still hung out with them. Amazing.

The woman walked out at that moment, her hips swaying like a bell chiming. "Sam," she spoke quietly, "they are working towards the same means as we are. The pact is still in place and has been for generations now. Trust them in this." She spoke gently, moving towards the angry chief, her words flowing and calm. As she reached him she placed her hand onto his cheek. He seemed to instantly calm as he saw her face fill his vision, and finally I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Thank God. Grabbing Dean's hand I held on for dear life at what could possibly happen next.

"They don't even know," regular Sam said his voice quiet so as not to ruin the calm that had spread throughout the room. "They don't even know we're here."

I shook my head, "He's right." Gripping Dean's hand even harder.

Chief Sam turned from who I guessed was Emily to address us. "We will discuss it tonight. It is not just my decision to make. If the pack is to be involved I want their opinions on joining this mission."

We each nodded in turn, before I glanced at Jake, a small smile on my face.

"I'll find you tonight, after we've made our decision," Jake said, a shy grin returning to his face after everything had been done.

"Ok," I said understanding. We left then, walking as quickly and quietly out the door as possible. Jake would stay there I guessed and round up the rest of the wolves. Dean gripped my arm, hauling me down the steps in a hurried fashion. He had been nervous as well around such a volatile shape shifter.

Now, I just needed to get in touch with the Cullens. Another joy in life. I'm sure they would think it was all right. We needed them to give the ok as well.

Pulling out my phone as we walked slowly back to the car I punched in their number. It was answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello Carlisle."

"Good evening Bella. I thought you would have returned to finish our discussion before now."

I grimaced at forgetting to let them know. I would have thought Alice would have kept them up to date on where we were at each moment. Stupid Alice. Can't stay with us when I needed her to, but when I didn't she kept track of me like a bloodhound.

"Yes, we're on our way now. We just had to make a pit stop and talk to some people."

"Oh, all right. I'm guessing we should be expecting you in twenty minutes or so."

"Yes," I said, shaking my head in agreement. I hated when people made physical gestures towards the people they were talking to on the phone, but yet, I did it anyway. "I have something else I want to talk to you as well about."

"That should be fine. Whatever it is. I'll gather the family and wait for your arrival."

I smiled at that, "Thank you Carlisle."

**A/n: That's it for today. I was going to write more, but I have to go back to work (again). I promise, I'll write another long chapter tomorrow hopefully. **


	23. Chapter 22

**A/n: Hey. Yeah, I know that last chapter was a douse. First, Chief Sam was the leader of the pack. He isn't the sheriff. I was just trying to differentiate between the two Sams. **

**Maybe I will get into the reason behind why C. Sam doesn't like vampires, but right now I'm hoping to finish this chapter before another long day. I swear work knows I'm enjoying writing and so they said, "OH no. We gotta stop her." So they make me work more, which I mean… I need the money so can't complain too much.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Chapter 22

"Wow. Are you sure you want to work with them?" Sam asked as we got into the car. Hopefully we were out of hearing distance from them. "He seems nuts."

Dean gave a short nod, and I tried to ignore both of them. "Would you rather die though Sam?" I spoke towards the window, keeping my voice low.

He frowned, his face clouding at the thought. "No," he replied, but none of us were happy about using the help of shape shifters. Not after how the chief showed his anger. He hurt his girlfriend, and broke stuff when in anger. Of course fueling that toward the chaotic vampires in Seattle would be a good thing.

Pulling into the Cullen's driveway I watched the trees flash by, green merging into evergreen, brown and more green. I sighed, back into hell again I guess. Climbing out after Sam I stretched, anything to avoid going back into their house. Now, we had training possibly and to tell them the news.

We didn't even have to step up the stairs this time before Alice bounded through the door. "Evening!" She sang, chipper as a child on Christmas. Flying down the stairs as only Alice can, making it look like a dance, she sprang to my side. "Oh Bella! Can I show you something?"

I looked at her, my eyebrow raised. Did she really think I wanted to go anywhere with her? But my pause was enough confirmation. Clasping my arm in her Alice dragged me up the stairs, through the living room and into where Edward normally played piano.

"I've missed you Bella," she exclaimed, hugging me to her as she set me down on the window seat.

I sat down in a huff. "Alice, I'm a person. Not a toy. Ask my permission next time you think it's ok to pick me up and cart me off."

"Sorry," she giggled. Certainly didn't seem apologetic to me. "But I wanted to show you this," she said, pulling out a photo album. Handing it to me, I placed it in my lap. It was gorgeous, finely crafted with the cover being of soft wood, sanded down to feel like silk. I opened the cover and immediately wished I hadn't.

There I was. Four years ago, dressed up for my 18th birthday party. I winced before turning away. "Alice," I complained, closing the front page as quickly as possible and handing it back to her. She wouldn't hold it, so it fell in her lap.

"I wanted you to have it," she said miserably before handing it back to me. Her face had softened, her eyes looking like she was ready to cry if that were possible, a pout coming up on her face.

"Fine," I huffed, pulling it back into my lap.

"Good," she murmured, the pout disappearing as quickly as it had come. "Can I at least show you my favorite picture?" she asked before grabbing the book from me and flipping open to the page of me and Edward. It had been a candid shot. Edward was laughing about something as I stared adoringly up at him.

I had been so weak then. I let him control my universe in such an unhealthy way. Of course he looked gorgeous in his suit, while I had tried to look his equal, but it was never to be. Minutes I stared at it, transfixed at what had been. Memories flooded back and before I knew it I was crying, tears falling onto the plastic covering. I looked up, wiping the tears from my face to see a smile in Alice's eyes, a small smirk quickly disappearing from her lips.

"Thanks," I said, closing the book. "It was a nice gesture." Glancing behind me I realized the boys weren't with me. They should have been in the house now. "Where's Dean and Sam, Alice?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"Oh," she smiled, rolling her eyes away from me, "they're probably with Esme or Emmett or Carlisle. I can't keep track of everyone."

I nodded. Yeah, right. If only I could kill her as well. "Well, let's go find them," I said, standing up from the exceedingly cushioned seat. Even if I had to limp to find them I would. Alice wasn't keeping me an unknowing prisoner any longer. Walking towards the door way I felt pressure on my back, turning I saw Alice, her putting her arm underneath mine to help me find them.

"You know, you weren't always such a pain," she murmured, a frown on her face.

"There you are," Dean said, standing to help me find a place to sit. They had been in the kitchen the entire time. Eating away at something or other. It was hard to tell now what the meal had been, since their plates had been scraped clean. Kissing me on the cheek, his eyes twinkling he helped me sit down in the kitchen chair next to him.

"Esme has been telling us all about you when you were in high school," Sam smiled. Part of the family seemed true enough, but the rest seemed to be up to something. Well, at least two of them.

"Thanks," I replied, blushing at the thought. What horrific stories had they told about me. Dean pulled my hand into his, threading the fingers as Sam continued.

"Yeah, we didn't know about your accident."

"Which one?" I smiled, my face growing hotter as the thought of how many times I had nearly died crossed my mind.

"There's more?" Dean chuckled. "I guess I'll have to start keeping you under lock and key then."

I smirked, "Yeah right." Rolling my eyes I waited. "So what have you guys been up to," I asked pointedly, staring down Dean and Sam.

Sam's gaze faltered first. "We were just eating and listening to stories. We knew you'd be back soon."

Dean remained silent during this. He knew I was pissed at not being with them, not being around because Alice had stolen me away.

"Sorry," Alice replied, ducking her head. "I was just borrowing Bella for a minute. I brought her back safe and sound." Sam smirked, I glared.

"So can you get everyone?" I hissed in Alice's direction.

"I'll go," Esme replied, she had been doing the dishes, something a mother normally never wanted to do, but she never really had a reason to do them unless company came to visit. Speeding out of the room I waited, my foot itching to start tapping.

What felt like minutes later everyone was back in the kitchen and I was ready to begin.

"Hello," I said, nodding to each of them. "We've just come from La Push."

Edward fidgeted at that, Carlisle drew in a short breath, and the rest just waited patiently.

"Why would you go there?" Emmett asked, before scratching his neck. He would always be the last to understand.

"I needed to know about my father," I began before being interrupted by Esme.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," I cut her off, getting ticked at being stopped before I could really get to the point; "it was years ago. Now, as I was saying, we went to the reservation. And talked with the head of their pack."

"Wait," Rosalie gasped, her voice tinkling like bells, "pack? Their line ended years ago."

"No," I replied, shaking my head, "they're still changing, perhaps because of you, perhaps because of vampires in general. I don't know. Anyway," I took a breath, "we asked for their help against the vampire causing these problems in Seattle."

Jasper stiffened at this, his nose flaring. "I can't work with them," he replied in a clipped tone.

Raising my hands I smashed them on the table with as much force as I possibly could. Was no one going to let me speak?

"Will you all just be quiet and let Bella speak?" Dean yelled, his frustration being added to by mine.

"Thank you," I said, batting my eyelashes at him. "Now," I looked at the group, "as I was saying. They are going to discuss it tonight. With more people on our side there is a better chance that no one will get hurt, and I think I'm willing to use all the help I can get so no one dies." I finished, placing my palms flat on the table, quirking an eyebrow as I waited for them to speak.

"This is a great honor," Carlisle finally began after the information began to sink in. "That they would trust their natural enemies is something most creatures are not willing to do. I say we allow them to help if they want."

Esme nodded in agreement with Carlisle. "I don't want anyone hurt either," she smiled sadly.

Edward sputtered at that moment, "Are you kidding? They hate us! Why can we trust them to help us?"

The voice of reason came surprisingly from Rosalie. "They don't want these lunatics out anymore than we do. So, I say, let them join."

I nodded. Three against two so far. Alice would side with Jasper and Edward more than likely. That simply left Emmett to decide if they could all work together. Looking at him I waited for his answer.

He brought his hand to his chin, looking like he was deep in thought before he grinned. "The more the merry. Maybe I can even wrestle with one of them."

Dean and Sam laughed at that, I simply groaned. Of course he would want to wrestle with his natural enemy to see who was strongest.

"Then, we are-"

"Wait," Alice cried, interrupting me yet again. "Don't I get a say?"

I blanched. I guess I hadn't waited on her to give her opinion. Sucking in another breath I nodded in her direction.

"I say the help is needed." Her voice seemed final as if she already knew the outcome and was trying to change it.

Edward looked at her, his eyes intense, but she did nothing but shake her head at him. Serves him right for trying to snoop. Even if I was as curious as he was. She knew something but was unwilling to tell us, including him. It must be bad.

"Well, then," I said after taking my gaze off those two, "if they offer to help we accept. It'll even out the playing field hopefully." I glanced at Dean, his head bent, his arms crossed. He was still uncomfortable being there, but of course after Edward's scene with him earlier that day I couldn't blame him. I grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. I couldn't bear to lose him especially not to this hunt; it would be just completely unfair.

The phone rang then, startling all of us, including Alice. Strange, usually she knew who it was.

Carlisle answered it at lightning speed. "Hello? Why yes she is here, no second." His usually cheery voice was strained. Looking over at me, he stated, "It's for you Bella."

**A/n: Now who could it possibly be? Should I throw you all for a curved ball? Hmmmm.**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/n: Sorry it's late. Weekend=work, but not next weekend thankfully. I get Sunday off! So, I should be able to write some more for you guys.**

**Disclaimer: Lol. Don't we all just wish we owned a Winchester or two. SM owns Bells.**

Chapter 23

"Hello?" my voice shook as I took the phone from Carlisle and pressed it tightly against my ear. No one even knew I was here. Bobby might have his suspicions but he certainly didn't know for a fact I was here and he didn't know the Cullen's telephone number. So, to say the least I was a bit worried who the person on the other end actually could be.

"Hello Bella," the voice seemed to smirk. I blinked a few times; I had heard this voice before, a long time ago, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. "Thank you for not making me wait too long for you to come back to Forks."

"Who is this?" I tried to demand before the line went dead. "What the heck," I said, turning to give the phone back to Carlisle, I felt the blood drop from my face. Well, that sure wasn't a good thing. None of the Cullens had heard the voice though; they had been so quiet not even the Cullens could have heard them.

Dean raised a quizzical brow in my direction, but I simply shrugged my shoulders. Lots of demons wanted me dead, but certainly none from Forks that I knew of.

"Who was it?" Edward asked, his curiosity overcoming his gentlemanly actions.

I shook my head, "I don't know." Turning to the rest of the table I tried to pull on a smile. "Let's at least start practicing," I glanced at Jasper, seeing his face determined, a hard line forming his mouth. Shaking his head, he stood up, leading us towards the backyard with me leaning on Dean for support. He carried me lightly,

Their backyard was even more gorgeous than how I remembered it. The islands had been well taken care of, black dirt over the mossy green that would have surely grown there otherwise. The grass was neatly trimmed, almost like a golf course. The line of trees seemed to have been pushed back, further from the house and the river still flowed freely and fully, impregnated by all the water from the rain Forks always had. My mouth gaped open in awe of what I had never truly treasured. This place was simply beautiful.

I wasn't the only one with their mouths hanging open. Sam's was open wide for flies, if you know what I mean. We had been back here before, but with Emmett wrestling it hadn't been up to the standards it was at now. I frowned a bit as I looked at their faces. Dean and I would probably never own a house if we kept living like we did. One hunt to the next with no time to rest except mini vacations. They seemed to like the idea of a backyard, a place to grill and have bonfires. Course, I would never stay here in Forks and have that. Why would I want to stay somewhere cold and wet for the rest of my life? I had done it once before, I vowed when I left to never have to do it again.

"Could we possibly take this exercise further out into the woods perhaps?" Esme's voice broke me from my reverie. She did have a good point. What if we did ruin her immaculate yard? She'd obviously spent time and energy getting this place to look the way it did. Even if vampires never slept.

"That's fine," Jasper nodded, before leaping gracefully across the river. Well, isn't that nice. How are the humans supposed to get over there?

I looked at Dean, and he simply shrugged. He didn't know any better than I did.

"Here Dean, I'll take you," I saw Alice smiling, holding out her arms as she grabbed Dean before I could argue with her. Rosalie was already across the way. She would never help unless it was necessary. Bounding over Alice took Dean, as he stared back at me, his soft green eyes wide from having a vampire so close, from having her touch him. Once in the brush they kept moving, running in a blur through the forest.

Emmett flew over with a thud, shaking still alive leaves off the trees around him. Such a hulk type creature, even if he could be graceful and quiet. Today, I think he did it on purpose, showing off for the Winchesters.

Sam and I looked at each other. How were we getting across? "I'll take you," Esme said softly, glancing at Sam. Sam's face was priceless, doing an audible gulp he nodded. Working with them was one thing, but allowing them to touch was something else. She picked him up in one swift motion, cradling him like a groom does a bride, and leapt across, running into the trees.

So, I was left with Edward. What a choice and what a coincidence. Frowning deeply I looked back at him. He hadn't moved an inch closer to me.

"Are we going?" I huffed. This was not my idea of a fun time. I closed my eyes, tapping my good foot as I waited on him to pick me up, to touch me.

Hands wrapped around my waist, slowly pulling me towards him. "What are you doing?" I sputtered. Why were we taking so long? We needed to train and I needed to learn my part in the hunt that was about to begin. His cold body clung to mine, molding to mine like a second glove. God, I remembered how this used to feel with him, all those years ago. Pulling me slowly into his arms, slow even for human speed, I rolled my eyes. "What the fuck is your deal Edward? Are you trying to get a rise out of me now? Because I would very much like to get moving." I pressed my eyes even tighter. If I didn't see him he didn't exist. What a croc, but it was all I had. So, I took a deep breath and waited for him to move. I didn't feel it. No hair movement, no nothing, we weren't moving.

"Jesus Edward! If you don't put me down or start moving I swear to God I'll scream," I yelled at him, my eyes snapping open. I turned to glare at him, but he had his eyes closed, looking serene as he held me. What the heck! "Edward!" I snapped, pushing all my weight into his chest.

He seemed to finally snap out of it. His eyes opened, a small smile playing on his lips. What was going on?

"Hey you all right?" I asked, backhanding him in the face. It was like he was in a daze or something. And we certainly didn't have time for him to daydreaming when he and I both had a job to do.

"Yeah," he said a clear smile now on his face. My backhand had done nothing to him really, perhaps if anything it had woken him up, but he wasn't hurt in the least. His smile died a few seconds later and after a minute of listening as well I knew why. The movement came from the underbrush, pushing me behind him Edward crouched, and waiting for the assailant to attack. He was being too overprotective in my opinion, caring too much about something that I could possibly handle myself.

After what felt like eternity Jacob emerged from the brush on the other side of the river. I stood there, waiting for Edward to stand, but he didn't.

"Edward," I hit him again, exasperated by his attitude. What was his problem tonight?

He stood up grudgingly, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Hello Bella, bloodsucker," Jacob spoke to each of us in turn, nodding in our direction.

"Jacob," I sighed, annoyed by his nickname for Edward. "So what is the decision?" I quickly stepped from behind Edward to in between the two of them. Jake shrugged.

"We're going to help. Sam is not happy, but he does not want any trouble from whoever it is in Seattle. If they were to come through our lands we would- might have some issues if they have a high number." He paused, before a grin grew on his face, "Course we also wanted any reason to fight some vamps, if you know what I mean."

I smiled too, not thinking of Edward, "Yeah, I know what you mean." I personally had no qualms hurting vampires who hurt and took away average human lives. I went up and hugged him, squeezing him tight. "Thank you so much. I know Sam didn't want to do it." He pulled me in, his skin burning to the touch.

"It wasn't just me, but I did what I can." He smiled before stepping arms length back. "Are you ok?" he asked, his face scrunched in concern.

"Um, well, we're supposed to be with the rest of the group. I'm sure they're wondering where we are. Do you think…perhaps, you could get me to the rest of them?" I smiled tentatively. If Edward wanted to be all weird and whatnot, then I was going to get there somehow and walking wouldn't do it still. Another four days at least if not the rest of next week until I could walk on it with ease.

Jake nodded, glancing at Edward behind me. "If that's what you really want," he said slowly. "I'm gonna care you ok? It may take a bit longer than vampire speed, but this way I can tell everyone."

"That's fine," I nodded, before turning to Edward. He looked so sad, like I had run over his puppy in the few seconds Jake and I had been talking. "I'm gonna go with Jacob, we'll meet you there." I limped the rest of the way over to Jake again before he quickly took me up into his arms, running at a good pace.

"What was up with Edward?" he asked after we had gone a few minutes in silence.

I shook my head. "I don't know. He's been acting weird, like we just stood there for minutes, and he was _holding_ me. I just don't get what that was about." I sighed, leaning my head on his chest.

"He still loves you."

"What the fuck is with everyone saying that?" I sputtered; first Sam said it, now Jake was saying it as well? This wasn't making any sense. "He broke _up_ with me! He doesn't love me! How can you say that?"

"How can _you_ say that?" He gaffed. "I saw how he reacted when you said all that you just said. Bells, he's still in love with you. I guess he missed you." Jake rolled his eyes, probably annoyed at my inability to see what he saw.

"I won't believe it. He's just being weird."

We arrived to hear Emmett laughing. The rest of the family moved around in the opening. Edward was there, pacing back and forth as if he were worried about me.

Once Jake put me down, placing me shakily on my feet Edward and Dean rushed over. "Dean," I rushed into his arms, kissing him smartly on the lips, pulling at his bottom before stepping back. I glanced at Edward for a second, but my eyes returned to Dean. He looked a bit unsure, unhappy that Jake had been holding me.

Edward didn't stand on the sidelines though. As I continued to look at Dean, neither of us speaking, Edward walked up, grabbing my face and planting a kiss on me.

It lasted only for a second before he was pulled off of me, my face shocked by his action. Dean and Jake held Edward by an arm, while Edward struggled.

"What the hell?"


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine.**

Chapter 24

"What the hell Edward!" I screamed, spitting out something bad from my mouth. "What the fuck is your problem?" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It felt like my lips were stinging and a look of disgust crossed my face. Gazing into Dean's eyes I tried to apologize, tears ready to pour down my face at this humiliating scene. I should have listened to Jacob and Sam when they first told me. Instead, I had just been made a fool.

Edward struggled for a bit, tugging at Dean and Jake trying to throw them off, but he finally seemed to come to his senses.

"Bella, can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked, keeping his voice low, as he looked up at me from his lowered head, his bronze hair falling over his forehead and into his eyes.

"No," I said, shaking my head furiously, cutting my eyes with my amber brown hair. If he wanted to say something he'd better say it here in front of people, his family and my friends, because I sure as hell wasn't going anywhere with him now. I hadn't even wanted to go with him in the first place, he probably would have tried something, I thought looking back on it.

"Bella, why can't you understand?" He murmured, his head hanging back down.

"Understand what? How you're an asshole?" I spat. "What are you trying to do Edward? Drive me insane?"

Emmett snickered in the background, while the rest of the family watched on. No one said a word; they simply stared at us, waiting for something perhaps waiting for a real end between Edward and myself.

"I still love you Bella," he replied, "I didn't mean to hurt you in anyway."

"Well, you did. Many years ago, and I've gotten over you since then," I rushed. Dean stepped away from Edward, leaving Jake to hold him if Edward became frantic. A smile on his face, Dean sauntered over to me, proud that I had moved on with him. I put my arm behind Dean's back. It felt good to have Dean put his arm around me. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. Perhaps I was overdoing it, but I wanted to get my point across, besides what kinda right did he have in kissing me after four years. Four miserable years he had caused.

Edward saw this and he growled. What the heck was that reaction? "Get over your self," Dean muttered; rolling his eyes before kissing me on the forehead, a pleasant shock floating through my body as Dean basically admitted to everyone that we were together. Not like they couldn't have figured it out before now anyway.

"I've made my choice Edward. You dumped me all those years ago, now fuck off and grow up." I wished I could have stamped my foot at that moment to emphasize how much he was getting on my nerves. But I knew that would simply put me back in my recovery.

Edward's eyes only grew darker, turning a coal black, his grip becoming too much for Jake to handle. In seconds he had broken his restraint and was flying at us. Dean tried to stand his own, but with a vampire that was almost invincible against a human, there was little likelihood of Dean beating him.

He still tried though. Pushing Edward away from us, he would have a bruised muscle from that attempt. Edward didn't even budge instead he came towards me, reaching out to grasp my arms in his steel grip. Emmett and Jasper and Jake thankfully came to the rescue. Jake threw him away from us for a moment before he was back in seconds, Emmett and Jasper grabbing at his arms to stop him from doing anything rash. It was simply chaos, arms and legs flaying everywhere.

Dean wanted to punch him, I could see it in his eyes, his hand curling into a fist, but he resisted. Jake didn't.

Jake slammed into Edward's jaw, causing Edward to fall backward a step or two. "Back off!" he growled at Edward. "I'll do it again," he threatened, his voice menacing.

Edward started to crouch into his predator position, ready to fight Dean and Jake if necessary, before a voice rang out through the trees, echoing off into the distance.

"Stop it!" Esme screamed her voice so high. She never screamed or raised her voice before. Everyone paused. "Edward go." Her voice was commanding, and I respected her for it.

The clearing was silent, everyone absolutely still as we watched to see what would happen. Would Edward actually listen to Esme? Or would he fight Jake and Dean to get to me?

Edward stopped for a moment, considering everything, before vanishing, his white dress shirt quickly disappearing into the forest. I held onto Dean for dear life, my nails clawing into his muscular shoulder. Was he going to come back? What was going on? Edward was acting so possessive and jealous and he had been the one to break up with me all those years ago. I was so confused.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" Alice stepped up, her hands folded in front of her, her head cast down towards her Jimmy Cho covered feet.

Shakily I nodded my head. "Sure," I murmured. She walked off in the opposite direction that Edward had taken off in, barely making a noise in the wet undergrowth. Thank goodness for small favors, if I didn't slip that would be another favor.

I limped after her, trying to keep up with her quick clip and not fall before we were probably a half a mile away from the clearing. She turned to me then, her face saddened. "I have something to tell you," she replied, looking like a small girl ready to cry, her lip jutting out towards me.

"What is it Alice?" I soothed, even after the ordeal I had just been through. I had always been the martyr.

She paused, taking in a deep breath that was not needed she started. "I was trying to get you and Edward back together."

I stepped back, gasping at the idea of trying to do that, my hand flying to my heart.

"I wanted my sister back. I realized after he let you go that I needed you, that I missed you. So, when you came back into our lives I tried so hard to get you to fall back in love with Edward. He'd been in love with you for all these years." She stopped, letting out the last gust of air, waiting for me to have some type of reaction.

"Alice," I stepped back towards her. "When Edward ended it all those years ago… I broke down. I fell apart completely, but now… now I finally feel like I'm mending, all thanks to Dean. And," I paused, making sure to look her in the eye when I said it, "I am your sister when you don't act completely nuts. But if you ever try to do something like that again, I swear I'll rip you apart myself."

She grinned, as I came forward and gave her a hug. I squeezed her for a moment and then backed off. "And stop acting like you're five, you're older than I am."

Alice smirked, before putting her arm through mine and pulling me back to the clearing. At some points I stumbled, almost falling on my face, but Alice kept me up, keeping me from falling into a pile of old and deadened leaves. It felt like it took longer to get back to the group, longer than before to get back to Dean.

Jake was still around when Alice and I came back. He had told the others while we were having our girl moment. Emmett was stoked. "Werewolves and vamps working side by side how much cooler can that get?"

Rosalie just shook her head, "Cool is out babe." And went back to looking at her already immaculate nails.

Esme and Carlisle seemed pleased by the turn of events, and even Jasper seemed to be considering this a good turning point. Nodding his head he calculated, "Then there should be less. Of course we'll still do that so as to-"

"Do what?" Sam asked, his eyebrows rose in Jasper's direction.

Jasper stopped his pacing, looked up at Sam and said in the most practical voice, "Why use Bella as bait."

Jake roared to the left of me. "We're not using Bella as bait. That won't be part of the deal."

I stepped forward away from Alice at that. "Jake, I need to do this. If it will help get them distracted then there's less of a chance of anyone getting hurt." I tried to look as defiant as I could as I stated, "Besides, how else am I supposed to do anything." I glanced toward my ankle hoping he would follow my gaze.

Jake paused, his face scrunched up as he thought about it.

"Don't worry," Dean said, stepping in, "She won't be there any longer than she has to be." He walked over to me, kissing me on the temple as he put his arm around my shoulders. "Right Bells?"

I nodded, looking at Jake then at Dean. "See? No worries." I would say anything to get into the fight. They would need me there, even if they didn't think so.

"Well then-" Jake started before being cut off by a gasp to my right.

"Alice?" I whispered. Alice's eyes were staring off, looking into a different plane, a different place then where we were at this moment.

"Shh," Jasper shushed me, stepping towards his darling wife.

I closed my mouth waiting, standing as still as I possibly could.

"Darling what do you see?" his southern accent came out, as he petted his wife's arm, waiting for her to answer.

Her mouth hung open as she watched the future happen. "I can't see everything," she said, shaking her head, still in the daze, "but they will be here when the sun comes out."

We all looked at each other, shaking our heads. What could that possibly mean?

"Do you see anymore?" Emmett broke in, his voice excited by news of the impending battle.

"No," she replied, her gaze returning to normal. She looked at each of us in turn. "It is a sunrise, at least I think so. The rain will stop and they will come over those hills right there. It's all I got though." Alice frowned. "Almost like the person knows about my visions, or perhaps it's just the dogs helping us," she smiled. I laughed at her comment. Thank God she was kidding and not meaning it personally. At least, I hoped she was.

"Well, at least that's something," Carlisle said, stepping into our circle we had begun to create.

"That's right," Jasper stated. "Knowledge is power. We'll take them by surprise."

I nodded, "Good. Now what do we need to do?"

**A/n: Sorry I haven't updated in two days! Thanks for the reviews and comments; they make me smile after all my real life drama. And no, I'm not telling you the game plan for the battle royal to come. That is a surprise for all of us. Only a few more chapters to go before I'm done! **


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Not my story.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the nice reviews. I appreciate those. I'm working on getting this done before the "real" work of my life starts. *This story is rated M for a reason!!* ;) **

Chapter 25

The rest of the practice time was anxiety filled. I wanted to get the battle over with, and it only made me feel worse that Dean would be involved where I could see him. This hunt was a bad idea from the start. Pulling in a deep breath I watched from a fallen tree, my head on my hand, using my arm for support. I was too tired to stay up for this as I watched Dean and Sam take on Jasper. Jasper wouldn't use powers, he had promised, to help them train for the battle, which we could only assume would happen tomorrow.

Jake called the other wolves, informing them of the upcoming battle and they would be arriving in a few minutes to watch and learn new tactics against their natural enemies. Jasper had already taught me my role, so all I had to do was wait, and watch, praying all would go well.

I watched while Dean threw out his blade towards Jasper's torso, Jasper avoiding the blade and streaming off to the right of it. Sam was ready though for this, pulling out his weapon he punctured Jasper's throat. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough that Jasper was still shocked. They had been learning to fight for hours against newborns, and finally this try they had stumped Jasper. Thank God.

"Ok. My turn," Emmett grinned stepping up to face off against Jasper. Jasper smirked, circling each other they both stopped short of attacking. They had both heard something to their left. Straightening they waited for what I could only guess was the wolves to arrive.

Slowly, they stepped out of the forest, barely making any noise. What I could only guess as Sam stood at the front, his coat short and black; he was the tallest of them all. Jake, who had been standing on the outskirts watching with his arms crossed, went into the woods to revert into an animal I had never seen before. Never would I have pictured my best friend being a werewolf. It was still all too weird.

Watching the large protectors emerge from the fringes I started to count. After reaching seven I began to feel outnumbered. Three real-life humans verse all of these supernatural creatures. Sure, Dean, Sam, and I had been outnumbered before, but this was starting to get ridiculous.

Suddenly the largest of them all, bigger than even Sam appeared, his tongue lulling out of his enormous mouth as he pranced up to me. His short fur coat was a shiny russet color, so soft it felt like his wolf form had taken a bath in conditioner. His brown eyes were expressive, a joke hiding in them as he looked up at me.

"Hi Jake," I said quietly, petting his satin head. I would know him anywhere, especially with that smile of his. He was so adorable in his wolf form! Just like a fuzzy puppy, but bigger and with sharp teeth. I watched as he laid down, allowing me to pet him, dragging my fingers through his soft fur, while the others stood on the fringes before laying down themselves. Grays, white, black, browns, reds, it seemed none of them was just like the other.

I sighed as I looked at them. They were all gorgeous creatures in this form. Watching their eyes move as one I turned back towards the Cullens. Carlisle came to the front; he bowed a little before realizing it foolish, and straightened up. Displaying his family he stated, "This is my family, Esme, my darling wife." Esme was nice enough to come up to him, wrapping an arm around him, as he pulled her closer. "Alice and Jasper," Alice waved frantically at the group, a full blown smile on her face, while Jasper nodded at them. "Rosalie and Emmett," Rosalie heard her name and looked up, then went back to filing her nails. Emmett waved for a minute before whispering into Rose's ear. She smiled at whatever he had said, probably something about fighting a wolf for fun. "And of course you have met the Winchesters and Bella."

Dean stood next to Sam presenting a united front. I stayed where I was, enjoying the warmth and comfort wolf Jacob could bring me.

"I'm afraid my other son isn't with us. He seems to be having some issues and has been asked to leave."

I thought I heard Dean scoff at the word 'issues'. If anything, Edward had straight up problems and needed to be in a straight jacket for the chaos he was trying to create. Sam smirked while wolf Jake chuckled at Dean's reaction. Hopefully Edward would not be coming back tonight.

The sun was sinking by the time we had called it quits. I checked my watch, we had been at this for 3 hours now. And the vampires and werewolves were still not tired. The boys, that was a different story.

"Ready?" I asked, pushing myself up from the log. My butt was numb and my legs cramped a bit at having to sit for so long without moving. You would think I would have been used to it, driving in a car for hours and days on end, but for some reason, today I was ready to move around.

The boys nodded. They had been standing off to one side watching for the past hour. Seeing new techniques being used, new ways of going after a newborn. Everything would be set for tomorrow. I just prayed I wouldn't screw up. Being bait certainly put pressure on you. Dean walked over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist as I said good bye to Jake. Patting his head I whispered, "See you." I was scared, because I didn't know what would happen tomorrow. Anyone could get injured especially since Alice couldn't tell the future. Cocking his head, Jake stood up, licking my hand, I giggled. "Thanks." Throwing my other arm around Dean, Sam, Dean and I left. It would take quite a few minutes to get back through the woods and to the Impala.

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I must have fallen asleep on the ride back. I barely recall even getting back to the car, let alone putting on my seatbelt.

"I'm going to go out and get a drink," Sam said, climbing out of the car, before pulling the seat up so I could get out. Then he left, leaving me to stretch and look at Dean. He was still in the car, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

"Dean," I mumbled, my voice dry from probably sleeping with my mouth open. I tapped his shoulder, "you ok?"

Shaking his head out of the reverie, Dean looked back at me, his eyes boring into mine. His eyes smiled at me, "I'm fine. You ready to get some more sleep?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah." That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but if he wanted to think that I needed to go to bed…

I slowly climbed out of the car, expecting him to hurry over and help me out. But he was already getting the door. "Dean, wait a sec." I huffed, limping over to him.

"Fine," he replied, holding the door open. Before I knew it though he flung me over his shoulder and was carrying me up the stairs like a bag of flour.

"Put me down you goon!" I screamed, laughing as I hit his back. "I'm not to be manhandled this way." He simply ignored my pleas and stomped up the stairs. "Hey caveman let me down!" I thumped his back hard one more time before he opened our hideous room.

Dumping me down on the bed, Dean stalked off to the bathroom. "What's your problem?" I cried through the bathroom door as I sat on the bed. Taking off my shoe I threw it at the door. What was his problem? The door creaked open and Dean strolled out, his shirt off, tan skin showing. His jeans slung just below his hips, showing the nice curve of his V. And the smirk on his face! Unbelievable. Two can play at that game.

I smiled innocently, playing with the hem of my shirt, as he crossed the room. "Ready to sleep?" he asked, pulling back the pink comforter as he put one leg into bed, jeans and all.

"Nah," I said, shaking my head violently, my hair hitting my face. "But I do need to get more comfortable." Teasingly slow I pulled at my shirt; pulling it over my head I felt my hair cascade down my bare back. My black lace bra gleaming against my pale skin, I grinned like the devil I was. "Just one more sec," I commented, popping open my button to tug at my jeans. Dean's eyes were saucer shaped, desire flooding them as he continued to watch my little strip tease.

"All done," I said nonchalantly, as I stood in front of him, wearing nothing but my black lace combo. Dean's grin became wolfish as he watched me head to my side of the bed.

I faked yawned, "I _am_ tired. Guess it _is_ time for bed."

"I'll say," he grunted, pulling me towards him. A look like he was ready to eat me planted on his face. I giggled knowing I had won the battle for now. I pushed out the thought of tomorrows. Tonight was all I needed.

His lips swallowed mine hungrily, pulling me closer to his body as he began his attack. My lips were swollen in seconds, pink and tender to the touch as he began to explore my body once again. Ignoring the need to just enjoy the pleasure, let it swallow me up, as he began kissing my stomach, my inner thigh, anywhere he could touch, I brought my hands to his jeans, flimsily trying to undo his button.

While I worked his jeans, he unclasped my bra, tenderly pulling down one strap after another. I smiled. He was only really sweet with me. Finally popping his button, I pulled at his jeans, jerkily pulling them down to his lower thighs, he would have to pull them down the rest of the way. Never said I was good at having sex, since I've never had it…

Gently placing his thumb on my nipple he flipped it back and forth, I moaned, as it hardened. "Who can do that to you Bells?" he grunted as his mouth clasped onto me for dear life.

"You can," I gasped. As his other hand kneaded my other breast, his tongue flicking across my nipple, blowing on it with his cool breath I moaned again.

"Who else?" he murmured, as he played with the elastic of my underwear.

"No one." I ground into his body, my hips rising as he pulled down my underwear.

This was not how it was supposed to happen; of course I was dealing with a sex god who was WAY more experienced than I am. Yet, I still tried. I skimmed the top of his boxers, lightly touching as I felt him harden instantly at my touch. Good. I put my hand under the elastic of his boxers, floating over him, going to the back to grab his butt.

Finally, I pulled down his boxers. Enough playing around. And he was standing up at a complete stand, him and his huge self. Of course, Dean wasn't done playing. Grabbing my hand in one of his he pulled them above my head, and began to graze his teeth against my nipples, I felt myself grow increasingly wet from that. Using his other hand he went down before he found my lips, parting them as he thrust them in and out. Before going back in and curling right on the spot. I gasped, "Dean," I moaned, a small explosion going off.

"You ready?" he whispered into my ear, his breath tickling my ear. I wiggled under his touch, his gaze, his breath.

"Yes," I replied in a breathy voice. The knot in my stomach tightened as I thought about him going into my tight self.

Gently he pulled himself up, his tip touching my entrance. I gasped as he pushed into my slowly, he bit down, trying to move the pain from one spot to another. When I was finally comfortable with him in me he pulled out before pushing back in, growing harder and faster as the seconds passed by. We were both sweating, our breath coming out in gasps as we both reached our climaxes together. Pinching my clit one more time I screamed out Dean's name, my knot exploding in my stomach, my head floating as I had an orgasm. Dean blasted into me, before collapsing on me.

"Wow," I chuckled once I had caught my breath. "That's what sex is? Can we do it again?"

I was sore, but I felt so good at that moment with Dean on top of me.

Dean grinned. "Maybe later."


	27. Chapter 26

**Disclaim: No, no, no, never, ever mine.**

**A/N: So, that was my first lemon ever the last chapter. Did I do all right? Where you surprised that they finally got together?**

Chapter 26

The night passed quickly as we slept. After having sex a couple of times last night we had fallen asleep with Dean's arm wrapped around me, as I snuggled into his chest, a flimsy pink sheet the only thing covering us. We only slept for a few hours before we were required to be up again, the sky still dark and it didn't look like it would get light again. Of course it was still five in the morning, another two hours before sunrise. I closed my eyes even tighter, trying to go back to sleep.

"At least this is a good way of waking up," Dean mumbled into my hair, his heartbeat picking up as he continued to wake up and move. I breathed in, God my breath stuck. So I nodded into his chest, enjoying the hard muscles under my chin.

I smiled, looking away from him I murmured, "Why do we have to keep up?" I looked back up at him, a pout on my face.

He quietly laughed as he saw my face. Mussing my hair he began to pull us both up. The sheet fell down, revealing my puckered nipples. God it was cold without Dean behind me. I glanced over at Sam's bed. His head was turned towards the door, looking away from us, still asleep and snoring. I hissed out a giggle as I saw Sam. He would be so uncomfortable if he saw us this way.

Swinging me up into his arms, Dean carried me to the bathroom, I suppressed a yelp since I still wasn't used to being swept off my feet. My ankle I noticed as I caught a glimpse of it was still black and blue. It had only happened a day before, and it would be another week before it would be a yellow color, revealing it was healing.

Leaning my head against Dean's collarbones I waited for him to put me down. I guess it was shower time. I thought back to last night, we hadn't used protection, but it wouldn't matter in the long run. If I got pregnant it just meant more time with Dean, buying a little house and taking a break from hunting for a bit. Something both of us probably needed. If I didn't get pregnant, well, hunting was still going to keep happening.

He slipped me down his body after he closed the door. Holding his index finger to his lips he informed me that we'd have to be quiet if we were going to try anything this time in the shower. I was up for it. My mind was racing as I thought of the battle that would occur this morning. This would be my last chance to be with Dean for the moment, and perhaps- nope. No thinking like that.

I landed in the tub as he braced me, making sure I didn't put too much pressure on my ankle. I certainly wouldn't need to hurt it anymore, especially with the job I would perform ahead of me today. Shaking my head, I looked up into Dean's soft green eyes. A smile playing on his face, he was amazing, even if he didn't see it.

He turned the water on in the tub, allowing it to grow scalding hot, steam billowing around us before he turned on the shower. I sighed as he held me in his arms, enjoying the feeling. Leaning over I grabbed the soap, moistening it and leaving suds in my hand. Ever so slowly I began with his chest, working every nook and cranny I as I scrubbed his arms clean, his back, before I finally started on his lower half.

Boy was he ready for me. I slowly started at his back, cleaning between his cheeks, teasingly going between his legs he jerked. Now he certainly knew how he made me feel. I started working on his legs, going down the inside of his thighs a few times, barely brushing, and making him harder than he had possibly ever been before. I smirked; this was going to be fun. Lifting up his foot I got the bottom of it as well, he squirmed. I guess he was ticklish there, good to know.

I stood up grabbing the shampoo bottle, ready to start on his hair, but he stopped me. Shaking his head, a large grin on his face he stopped my hands from reaching his head. He reached down to grab the soap. Uh oh. My face flushed, this was definitely going to be intense. He lathered the soap up before starting on me. He was paying special attention to my chest, legs, and the small curve in my back.

"Dean," I whimpered as my legs began to shake, weak from the constant attention he was lavishing on me. I was ready to explode. Pulling his head back up to my level I kissed him furiously. My teeth nipping at his bottom lip, a groan escaping his mouth. God he was so ready. I stepped closer to him, pressing our bodies against each other, my hands pulling his face closer, my body leaning against him.

His tip flicked across my leg, pushing my body against his I maneuvered him to my slit. I was so sore, but so wet and ready at the same time. Thrusting up into me Dean took me by surprise. I gasped, my mouth shaped O before I clung to him, going after his chest while Dean pumped into me. My knot tightening to excruciating. If I didn't come anytime soon I was going to combust. Rubbing my clit I had one orgasm, better than any other I'd ever had before. Dean covered my mouth before I could scream, kissing me as he brushed his tongue in my mouth. He kept coming, pumping, my walls clenching around him as I waited for another, and I felt it coming. Coming fast.

As he pushed into me I came again, my body collapsed onto him. A smile spreading across my face as Dean pulled out, holding me up. I didn't see how I could stand. The water still streaming down my back. I held on to Dean, letting him wash my hair, gently massaging my scalp, he was so skilled with his hands.

When I could finally stand I finished our shower, washing his short hair thoroughly. And when would he get another shower like this again? Who really knew after the battle that would happen today.

Gingerly climbing out of the shower, Dean slunk behind me, grabbing one of the fluffy pink towels and began drying me off. Taking his time to pay attention to every sensitive inch which caused my legs to shake again.

"Stop that," I playfully smacked him. Dean grinned.

"Fine babe." He stood up, wrapping me in the towel before walking out to get some clothes for us. I pouted for a moment, maybe I shouldn't have told him to stop. Hopefully he would remember the lotion and which clothes I would want to wear.

He was back in moments, jeans, shirts and underwear thrown over his shoulder and in his hands. In his other hand he carried the green apple lotion with him. My hero!

I swear this was one of his favorite parts of the day, rubbing lotion on me. Thankfully not in a Hannibal Lector style, but because he liked my body and liked me. We stayed quiet as he moisturized almost every inch of my body, staying away from a few places, but still eliciting soft moans from me as he went after my nipples again. Must be his favorite body part.

We didn't wake up Sam when we finally left the bathroom ten minutes later. The clock read five forty-five. We would have to hustle to be there, ready for the attack by six-thirty. Jasper planned it out to the smallest detail. The wolves would stay in the forest, waiting to pounce when the vampires started to circle the Cullens and Winchesters and cut off half their army. I- I had other things that I would have to do. That's why we would need to get there soon, even if there was a thirty minute delay for the sun to rise.

Locking my fingers in Dean's Sam, Dean and I walked out the door of the hotel. Hopefully we would be back again.

The forest was quiet as the Cullens (all except Edward), Winchesters, and I sat on the broken log that I had sat on yesterday. Listening to the few birds that were up that early we waited. I would be performing my part of the battle soon enough, then I would be out of the game for the rest of the time.

My heart began to thump as I took my position, cutting my palm nicely, allowing the blood to flow. The newborns would go crazy over me, ruining their sense of urgency, their sense of need to kill. Good. At least this way I could save a few instead of losing many. I wiped my blood on leaves, leading a trail through the bushes and across the path of the werewolves. Not only would it be divide and conquer on our part but they would be ambushing as well. It was the best plan we could come up with, with so few people willing to help.

I checked the watch on my wrist. The werewolves should be here at any moment. I scrunched up my eyes to check, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Where were they? Ignoring the fluttering in my stomach I continued to do my job, anything to help the cause even though it felt like my nervousness was showing.

There was only ten minutes until the sunrise before the pack showed up. "Cutting it close?" I muttered, before stomping back off to the safe spot I had been designated area. Sitting down on a stump I saw Jake come up, his movements slow and unsure. Plopping down in front of my feet I raised my eyebrows.

"Jake what are you doing? You're supposed to be out there getting ready to fight." I gulped at the last word. How many newborns would they be facing? They would need every ounce of manpower they could get. "You shouldn't stay here."

Jake snorted at that. Rolling his large wolf eyes, Jake placed his head between his front paws. This was going to be a long wait.

I first noticed the lack of sounds after a few minutes. The birds had stopped chirping, the only sound I heard was Jake beside me, breathing. Staring up through the tree limbs I caught sight of vibrant pinks, yellows, golds. The sun was coming up. The battle was about to begin, and I couldn't be there. In fact I was causing Jake to miss out. He was even whimpering as I could only guess the first few blows happened. His hearing was so much better than mine. Slumping further onto the stump I felt dejected. I was a hunter, not a girl who needed to be babysat.

Jake stood up quickly, growling at something that was probably happening in the distance. Staring at my feet I caught something white in my peripherals, shocked I looked up. One of the newborns had gotten across werewolves line and had followed my scent. Great. At least I had brought my trusty werewolf knife with me, compared to all the other times I had been without in Forks. Standing up I paid little attention to my throbbing ankle as I looked at the young girl, her face drained to paper white, her eyes blood red. With short blonde hair matted to her head, I wondered how she must have died. It looked to have been violent with her hair speckled with flakes of red, but perhaps that was just someone else's blood. I shuddered at the idea.

"Hungry," she hissed, flying towards me as soon as she spotted me. I stepped out of the way, Jake moving to my other side as I stabbed at her. Jake flew over my head as I took out a chunk of her, quickly taking her right arm off. Screaming in pain, she looked over, her eyes wide with shock to see a part of her was missing. I wished I could have laughed then.

She swung at me as I tried to sidestep her again. This time my effort was worthless, she caught me with her left arm, the swing throwing me to the ground and making my upper arm crunch. Pain raked through me as I immediately knew my arm had been broken. Perhaps badly.

Jake flew at her again, sailing through the air this time as she bent over my body. My eyes wide I watched as she hit him square in the chest. Jasper had taught us, always attack from the sides, not straight on, and Jacob hadn't listened. Flying backwards, Jake laid still his chest rising up and down in awkward motions.

I watched as she bent over me, her cold, pale left hand enclosing my throat. Everything went black as she began to squeeze.


	28. Chapter 27

**A/n: Thanks for the reviews. They seriously made me laugh. Cliffhangers are the BEST. Don't worry another two chapters to go I think…**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Chapter 27

I woke up to screaming, ear piercing startled scream. My eyes flew open squinting at the light blaring into them as the girl vampire who had been strangling me, killing me, was being ripped to pieces in front of my eyes. Edward had come to my rescue. He hadn't been there all morning; he hadn't shown up to our pre-meeting before dawn to even prepare. I thought he had abandoned me again, and this time his family over his own cowardice. I had been disappointed in him, hoping that he would grow a pair and man up to everything, but he hadn't. At least, not until now, finally he was here, helping me, letting me live for another few minutes.

He was vicious, his face pulled back to a snarl as he pulled one limb after another off her body. She had no arms by the time I was able to discover her, one leg had been taken off as well. She was still hobbling around for good measure, unprepared to admit defeat.

Looking around me I noticed that Jake was getting the pieces and dragging them into a blazing fire. Obviously I hadn't been out for more than a few minutes, but it still was enough time for the girl to be pulled apart limb by limb. The blonde newborn tried to fight back, her teeth gnashing her face contorted in anger, until Edward ripped her head off unceremoniously, her horrible shrieking abruptly cut off. It was a torturous thing they had just accomplished instead of going straight for her head they had played with her, removing one appendage after another. Her leg finally crashing to the ground, the rest of her torso with it, as it kicked its way to the rest of the burning fragments to try and reconnect with the rest of the body and become whole again.

Trying to move to get out of the way of the crumpled body, Edward glanced at me; my horrible shuffling noticed and probably heard. His eyes were completely black, his teeth still snapping, maybe he wouldn't gain control in time. The smirk I felt growing towards the idiot body disappeared as I looked at him. Jake threw the rest of the body into the fire, sparks crackling in the air before he saw what was happening.

Jake growled at Edward, stalking over to stand in front of me quiet as a lion stalking its prey, his pearl white glistening teeth bared, his russet hair standing on end at the nape of his neck.

"Edward," I whispered my voice cracking, as I crawled backwards trying to avoid putting too much pressure on my broken arm. I was still undecided as to whether to stand up or not. If I stood up, there was more of a chance of Edward getting to me, and if I stayed here Jake could protect me better. The thoughts of the pros and cons raced through my head as I stared into Edward's eyes pleading with him to remember who he was, to remember who I was.

Shaking his head vigorously Edward broke his predatory trance. "Bella, are you all right?" He asked, but he didn't move to help me stand up. His eyes were still onyx revealing the hunger raging inside. Jake had his teeth bared, still untrusting of Edward. I definitely could not blame him for lack of trust at that moment.

Pushing on the soaked forest floor with my good wrist I stood up shakily, brushing the debris off my clothes. Jake backed up, his fluffy red tail on my legs. It brushed warmly against them as I coughed, trying to get saliva in my dry mouth. It seemed when I was really afraid that my mouth got so dry even a rainforest wouldn't moisten it.

Finally I squeaked out, "I'll be fine. Go help the others; I'm sure they need you. Jake's here, so don't worry about me." The pain in my arm was excruciating, but I could deal with it until after the battle. They needed help, especially the Winchesters. I was afraid for all of them. I left my arm alone, letting it hang on my side; I wasn't going to move it for fear of hurting it even more. Perhaps even worsen the break if that were possible.

Edward nodded towards me, not meeting my gaze, keeping his eyes down, before running towards the fight a flash of light in my poor human vision. I cringed, as I limped towards the direction of the battle, my arm in serious pain. Hopefully it was already near the end. I wouldn't be much help otherwise. Yet, I wanted to know what was going on, so even without Jake's permission, which I knew he wouldn't give, I walked to the edge of the clearing. Jake tried at every turn to get me to go back. He bit at me, pulled at my jeans, and even tried tripping me all so I would stop. But I was curious; I wondered who could have possibly created this army of vampires and for what reason.

So, I made as little noise as possible, trying to step lightly onto the soft undergrowth avoiding any wood that might break and give away my position. I knew everyone but the Winchesters knew I was there due to my heart, breathing, scent, you name it and they would know, but still, it felt better to be stealthy. Spotting the Winchesters across the way I saw them bloody and battered, but still alive and moving.

The others were frantic, Alice and Jasper working as one except Jasper tried to do all the work and let Alice stand there, huffing and puffing at the lack of work to do. Emmett was having a ball. I could tell by the hoots and hollers from somewhere on the other side of the clearing. Rosalie would probably scream if anyone broke a nail, and Carlisle must hate the idea of killing vampires, perhaps offering them a choice before ripping off their heads and throwing them into the fire. It was mostly a mess of fur and fangs, fists swinging, fires going. A few shrieks and howls I heard, but not one person I could identify truly as being hurt.

I heard a purposeful crunch behind me, and slowly turning around my gasp caught in my throat. Victoria. My mouth hung open; Jake snarled to the left of me getting into the attack position, ready to strike whenever she moved.

"Well, well," she said, as she walked closer to me, her flaming red hair moving with the wind, except there wasn't any wind. It was just moving on its own like snakes. She clicked her nails together in a maniacal way, probably enjoying the fear written on my face at that moment. I backed up, until my feet hit the tree trunk behind me. Great. I was stuck with a crazy vampire who wanted to tear me apart and I was injured and in a corner. At least it was a good way for a hunter to die, even if I didn't really want to die. I wanted personally to figure out what Dean and I had. To find out if it would be an everlasting thing until both of us died years from now, perhaps even with kids.

So I would try and bluff my fear off. "I see you've finally come back." She remarked. "I hoped you would, it wouldn't have been much fun to just kill your beloved and not get a chance at you as well." The venom seemed to drip from her eyes as she glared at me, her smile malicious as she spoke.

Jake snapped, his teeth dripping, all of his hair on end compared to before.

"Well, Victoria right? Or should I call you Vicky?" I babbled nonchalantly, ignoring what she had just said as my mind continued working the only way it knew how. Get her mad but keep her preoccupied as I prayed for more help. Jake wouldn't be able to take on an old vampire by himself and I would be of no help to him at all. Still, I drew out my knife from my pant's pocket, hiding it within my sleeve. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice that small movement. It was a comfort, holding something that would leave a mark on Victoria, if only for a few minutes.

She growled as I made fun of her. Picking on her name, giving her a nickname seemed to upset her. She crouched into a predatory position and I waited counting the beats of my frantic heart. "So ready to die I see." She saw the weakness in my arm and commented, "Too bad I didn't do that to you myself. Pity. At least I get to kill you." She leapt then, flying straight at me, her hair fanning out around her face, a white blur before Jake attacked. She was ready though and knocked him off effortlessly. I flinched as she came down on top of me, but I still barreled my knife into her throat, causing her to scream in pain. It certainly wouldn't kill her, but it would hurt like a bitch for a few moments at least.

Ripping out the knife and throwing the weapon on the ground I watched as the wound healed instantly. I frowned, perturbed that the wound hadn't slowed her down a bit as she backhanded me, snapping my head in the direction of the floor. What was with me and being on the ground today? Two times is _not_ the charm. Trying desperately to crawl away from her I checked behind me, waiting to see what she was doing. She smiled wickedly at me before stamping down on my leg. It gave a sickening snap and I screamed out just like five years ago, my voice bouncing off the trees.

Jake jumped at her, distracting her for a moment as I pulled myself together, calculating all the damages that had been done to me in the few moments I had faced the two vampires. Hopefully, no internal bleeding was occurring and I wouldn't have a concussion. Jake tore off a chunk of her shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain, her eyes squinted as she stalked him, circling him as he circled her. I would be easy prey once she was done with him.

"Vicky," I gritted through my teeth. Distraction was the only thing Jake and I had at this moment. Either distract her or one or both of us would die. I threw a stick I found near my good hand at her. It bounced off her shoulder, but she ignored me. She had thrown the knife down before, I recalled through the searing pain. Searching through the underbrush I spotted it, a few feet away, the blade gleaming against the green and brown.

As I pulled myself towards the knife Jake jumped at her again, but rethought it at the last minute. Catching her off guard for re-evaluating his move she had overstepped hers, leaving him right where he wanted her. He bit off a hand this time before retreating enough that she couldn't hit him easily. The ground was slimy, mudded from overwatering lately which made my hand sink as I tried to reach the only thing to help Jake with.

It felt like hours as they parried back and forth, both avoiding any further attacks from the other. I finally reached the knife, but the wind was knocked out of me, my pain ebbing at the edge of my consciousness. I would soon pass out from the excruciating pain. No one would be able to do anything about it either.

This game would soon be over quickly if Jake didn't conserve his energy. He was human in a sense, no match for an immortal who was never tired.

Then Edward showed up, his hair in disarray his shirt ripped open at some parts, his jeans smeared with brown mud. He had left the battleground which had grown smaller in the past few minutes to help fight her. Glancing between Jake and Edward Victoria considered her options.

"Oh don't leave," Edward's honey voice rang out as he circled one side, Jacob on the other.

Victoria hissed, crouching down as she looked back and forth, an exit strategy trying to be conceived.

I wanted to voice my comments but I waited for the right moment when she wasn't ready, the knife poised in my hand to strike and distract her, just for a second. Then, the guys would be on her, ripping her apart just like her beloved James. I watched as the seconds ticked by, my thoughts become hazier as the pain increased. One step to the left, two steps right, back again. Seeing it more than five times I aimed, praying I wouldn't hit the guys who were trying to save me and threw with all my strength.

I hit her again, right in her unbeating heart. God if I wasn't such a good aim thanks to years of training with weapons. She screamed, unprepared for the threat, throwing back her head, revealing her slender white throat as she drew the knife out of her body quickly and tossed it right back at me, unluckily hitting me right above my heart.


	29. Chapter 28

A/n: So I tried to get this out yesterday, but drama hit my life. So, hopefully today it'll get out… An epilogue after this, perhaps a sequel if I feel like it

Chapter 28

I woke up knowing immediately where I was, the smell of rubbing alcohol burning my nose. I fluttered my eyes open, the light being almost too strong for them. Allowing my eyes to adjust I recognized the hospital room with Dean and Sam sleeping in a corner. Déjà vu hit me really strong at that moment except without the Winchester boys sleeping on the horrible armchairs. It was almost like five years ago, after the car accident.

Taking shallow breaths I tried to ignore the pain that should have been coursing through me, only to realize that there wasn't any. Why was I supposed to be in pain again? Instead, I was floating, my head soft and light, my body not even attached to me. I tried to recall the last thing I remembered, but it was faint and fuzzy, just screaming red hair flying at me.

I sighed, smiling even though I felt incredibly vulnerable and weak at that moment it didn't matter to try and consider. Oh, well, I would remember it tomorrow. Closing my eyes I drifted back to sleep.

I was told I slept for another two days before I woke up again. My body was trying to conserve energy to fix itself, to create more blood after what I could only guess was most of it.

"Hey sweetheart," Dean murmured, his eyes cold and hard, bag underneath them. He looked like crap, a man desperate who had slept for hours in an uncomfortable hospital chair. He ran his cool hand through my hair, across my cheek, touching me wherever he could. My face lit up, my smile bright as I stared up at him from the hospital bed.

"Hey yourself," I croaked. Dean and I both winced at my voice before he went and picked up the water jug on the nightstand next to the bed. Pouring some into the ugly plastic orange cup he held it to my lips, waiting for me to drink my full. After enough I tilted my head back, a few droplets escaping my lips. He dabbed them off with his fingers.

"Thanks," I whispered. I glanced down at my arm and saw the horror my body had been through. My arm was in a cast, weighing down my one side. My leg was broken again, but of course it was my other leg compared to the first time, and my chin started to tremble at the idea of my broken body. If I recalled correctly now I was closer to breaking all the bones in my body, what an excellent achievement.

I didn't need to look under the gown or blanket to feel the gaze on my chest. Later, when no one was around I would check it and see how bad the scarring would be. I wouldn't let anyone else see me cry until then.

"So," I said, avoiding looking at my body any more to stop the tear-jerk reaction. I gazed back into his eyes, putting my good hand over his. "What happened after I was… incapacitated?" I kept my voice light, merry. Maybe he would let the joke slide thorough and ignore the fact of my being hurt.

"Well," Dean's gruff voice muttered, his eyes looking at anything but my face, his other hand that had been in my hair now on the nape of his neck, scratching. Uh oh. "Carlisle came to help you, after-"

"Victoria," I remarked, my memory coming back to me. I shuddered recalling it, hopefully she was dead now.

"Yes," Dean nodded, his voice hushed, "after she hurt you. Edward and Jacob took care of her." He didn't sound pleased at that, instead he looked angry, his face scrunched, his hands balling up.

"What's the matter Dean?" I brushed my fingertips across his stubble jaw, bringing him back to me.

He shook his head slowly, "Nothing. I just didn't know if you would wake up." His voice broke, a frown appearing on his face.

I grabbed his calloused cool hand, clasping his fingers in mine. "I'll always come back," I lied. I knew this had been a close one, that I was lucky to be alive at this moment. "I'll never leave," but I couldn't promise that even though I wanted to so badly. A promise would do nothing if I was stabbed in the heart next time. I smiled though, even if the smile didn't reach my eyes.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, turning my head to look in the direction of the vacant armchairs.

"Went for a walk to get some coffee, or something like that." Dean looked in the direction of the door. "He should be back soon though."

"Good," I yawned.

"Maybe you should rest," Dean sighed, running his hand through my hair again.

I shook my head, frowning. "No. Tell me what happened after." He knew what I meant by after. The _after_ I was almost killed by a lucky shot that my archenemy had thrown at me.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest? That wound took a lot out of you."

I frowned, perturbed that he was avoiding my question. Raising an eyebrow I looked him square in his beautiful emerald eyes, "What happened?"

Dean sat there for a minute, staring past me, before he drew out a long sigh. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you."

I cut him off before he could throw out any more excuses, "But you're the only one here, so you kind of need to tell me." I yanked on his hand to try and get him to look at me. "Now tell."

He shook his head slowly. "Well, after the red haired vamp almost killed you Edward tore her apart. He showed no mercy. I heard you scream. Jake says it only took seconds before Victoria was bits and pieces. Edward was that pissed I guess."

Dean paused a moment, inhaling through his nose deeply before continuing. "I rushed over as quickly as I could, but I felt like I was too late. Your skin, it was paler than usual. The blood was just soaking through your shirt," Dean gasped before collecting himself again. "Edward was able to hear a faint heart beat from you still though, so he brought Carlisle over. We were so closed to losing you that they didn't know if they should change you or not."

I broke in then, "No," I shook my head to the best of my ability. "I don't ever want to be like them."

"I figured," Dean smiled sadly. "But I was still afraid. Carlisle needed to get you to the hospital, you needed a transfusion, and the knife had to be taken out carefully to avoid any more damage it could create for your organs. He tried to stabilize you the best he could there, even though he didn't have any medical equipment. Edward left when Carlisle got there. Couldn't stand all the fresh blood I guess." He stopped again, staring out the window at the rain dripping onto the glass pane. I tried to digest what had happened.

"What aren't you telling me Dean?" I whispered, now afraid of the answer. He waited another minute, torturously collecting his thoughts.

"Your heart stopped beating at one point. It was so weak already. Carlisle was able to get it started again, but you were nearing the end. We had to get you out of there. I didn't see what happened after that. I went with Carlisle, but I found out anyway."

I bit my lip, turning it a faint pink. I was lucky to be alive Dean basically had just told me. My life should have ended fighting Victoria but Carlisle had somehow been able to save me. I stared down at our hands joined together. The story would only get worse, I could tell.

"Edward's dead."

I didn't comprehend him for a few seconds, instead gazing at our perfect hands which fit so easily together. My super white hand inside his tanned leather hand. So perfect. Of course I had thought that about Edward and myself at one point. I felt a tear slide down my face, but still I didn't seem to realize it.

"How?"

Alice came in at that moment. Her face was somber as she spoke, "He was trying to help the werewolf Sam. Sam had been cornered by two vampires, both of them over a year old. Lackeys of Victoria's we're guessing. Well, Edward came to his rescue, but instead of being grateful Sam barked at him, snapping, like Edward was the enemy. Sam took a few seconds before he joined in the fight with Edward, but it was already too late in a way. One of them crushed Sam who's now in intensive care, but he should be healed in a few days. Edward, he didn't stand a chance against two of them by himself. And the rest of us were busy with our own…" Alice trailed off, looking like she would cry if she were able to.

Tears slid down my cheeks for all of us. He had been my first love, and he had died saving someone who had hated him. I couldn't believe it. A sob escaped my throat, wrenching it painfully out I bent over my hands, pulling them out of Dean's grasp to bury my face in them. I had been so horrible to him the last time I had really spoken with him. Now, he would never know that I would always carry a special piece of myself for him. That I still loved him, even though it was diminished in the face of Dean's and my love.

Alice came to sit on the bed with me, rubbing my back slowly, her cold hands slipping through the sheer night gown of the hospitals. I simply cried, my heart breaking for the second time in my life over Edward. I would never be able to say I was sorry or explain myself. I cried even harder at that thought.

"Shh," Dean whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder.

But for once I didn't listen to him. I might love him at this moment and for the rest of my life, but that certainly didn't mean I would take his shushing at this moment. I just bawled harder, gasping for air, my world seemingly coming apart.

I gulped in air while Alice and Dean sat there. Alice's shoulders shook her own form of crying going on. Dean's head hung, his face drawn as he sat there.

Please, I prayed to whatever God was out there. Please, let there be a heaven, because Edward, no matter what he's done to me. Edward should be there. So, please, please, hear this. I'll do anything to make sure he's finally happy.

It was a small affair at the Cullen's house. They had gathered ashes from the fire which Edward's body had been in. I was still weak and had to sit in a wheelchair thanks to the broken leg. Years ago, I would have been carried, but now, it felt appropriate that no one carry me. That had been his job at one point.

Dean and Sam were given suits to wear from the extensive family wardrobe. Somehow Sam's size had even been found. They looked great wearing Armani, but their faces were solemn. They may not have liked Edward, but they had respected him at the end for protecting me.

Emmett and Rose stood together. Rose dabbing at her eyes like she was crying with a silk handkerchief in her gloved hands. Her make up still immaculate even after her fake crying. Deep down though, I think she actually did care. Emmett wore his Gucci suit a satin tie pinned down by Edward's Christmas gift to him, a solid gold pin tie. Emmett's smile wasn't in place, instead his eyes were filled with anguish his mouth downturned.

Alice stood next to Jasper, but she didn't lean on him. She stood tall. Edward and she were always the closest of the family; she would take this the toughest out of all of them. I saw her shoulders still shaking violently, her face pulled back, ready to explode into tears if she'd been able to. Jasper simply stood there. His face tight, tortured from all the sorrow and downheartedness that he was feeling from everyone.

Esme cried as well. Her heart shaped face looking broken, her hands clutching her handkerchief. She would use it if she were capable of it. Carlisle had his hand on Esme's shoulder, his tux cleanly pressed just like the others, but he seemed more prestigious as he held the urn in his hands.

We were in the backyard, standing in front of the river, the rock to our right. I glanced past the family, looking into the forest. My eyes watering again as I thought of what had transpired just a few miles out there.

Carlisle cleared his throat, his voice low. "We are here to remember a fellow member of this family. A man who gave up everything for us, to protect us. He loved each and everyone of us, and for that I will miss him and always remember him." He took a bit of the ashes out of the urn, throwing them into the air before they trickled down into the river a little distance away.

"He was a son to me. Perhaps older, but he will always be my son. I love you Edward." She smiled sadly as she grabbed a handful and gently placed it in the river. She in turn gave the urn to Alice.

"Edward, you-" her voice broke, but she continued. "You are my true brother. You understood me completely, and you always had my back. I will see you again." Alice smiled sadly. A tear ran down my cheek at her words.

Jasper took his turn next. "You were never sure of the afterworld, but I know that wherever you are, there is a heaven. You wouldn't deserve anything less than that my brother." His hand created an arc with the ashes, a slight breeze catching them and taking them off into the river, before he handed the urn to Emmett.

"You were never fun to wrestle with." We all snickered at that. "But I love you anyways. You know one day we'll be even, and then I'm going to kick your butt." I smiled, enjoying the fact that everyone thought they would see him again. Emmett tossed Edward's ashes into the clouds, letting them rain back down to earth again before handing it to Rose.

"Well," she replied, "I know I was pretty much a pain in your ass." I smirked at that, waiting for what she would say next. "And you would get pretty upset at it, but you always had my back," she took a deep breath, "And I didn't have yours. I'm so sorry Edward."

"It's not your fault Rose," Emmett started, pulling her into his arms, the urn forgotten about between them. My face crumpled. It could be anyone's fault, perhaps it was Chief Sam's fault the most, or maybe it was mine. Who really knew?

We waited a few moments before the urn was passed to me. Dean and Sam wouldn't know what to say if given the chance anyway. They had only meet him twice and both times hadn't gone well at all.

"I-" my voice cracked, my hands shaking as I held the last of Edward in the urn. "I'm sorry for what I said. I wish I could tell you that now. And that, wherever you are, I hope you're happy." I couldn't say anymore, I could only feel the tears welling up again, racing down my face as they fell into the urn. I clamped my broken arm around the jar, making it truly mine as I reached down for the last few ashes. He would never be at peace caged up in a jar for the rest of eternity. "I will always love you," I whispered before flinging the ashes into the air, a gentle freeze floating them away. The breeze playing with my hair, gently caressing my cheek, perhaps he was now part of the earth.

I looked up after a few moments to catch movement in the trees. All of the werewolves had come to pay their last respects. The black wolf, Sam, stood at the front of the pack, on the other side of the river, bowed his head in our direction before each wolf threw back their head and howled Jake with them each paying their own tribute. Wiping away tears with the back of my good hand I smiled tentatively.


	30. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Oh ho, not mine. **

**A/n: Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and well wishes.**

**Happy early Halloween/All Hollow's Eve**

Epilogue

I tried to only think about Edward every once in awhile and tried only to think good thoughts. It had been two months since we had left Forks. Two months of feeling just a little bit like I was missing a part of myself. Edward would always be a part of me; he had been my first love, my first kiss, most of my first emotions towards a guy. Things like that really can't disappear, they can't be forgotten.

Once the funeral was over that day, Dean, Sam and I left town. Perhaps it was rude to not stay a day or two and grieve, but we had been there for the funeral. We were there for a ceremony that had been beautiful. Esme and Carlisle begged us to stay. Esme said she didn't want to lose another child. I still scoff internally at that. Even after everything I still didn't feel like her child. She was a nice vampire, but too many years had passed, the feelings weren't what they once were.

Rosalie didn't really care if I stayed. She was in mourning for her vanity I guess. Emmett thought we were a kick, especially me, but I felt like that was it. There were no big brother feelings to keep me around a second longer than necessary. When I had first joined their family I felt like he cared, when he laughed at me for falling down, or when I tripped on something. I became a new favorite toy for him; I was funny to watch because I was human. Now, if he wanted anyone to stay it would have been the brothers. They were just too awesome in their stories. All the hunts they had been on would have entertained him for days; Rosalie simply would have ignored them unless they commented on her beauty in some way. Fat chance.

Alice had been the worst. I thought Esme would have been, but Alice almost stayed glued to my leg, holding onto me like a child. I had to drag her out to the car with me, her dress getting dirty. That was a shock in itself. She was always so pristine in her attire and now she was getting it messy because I was leaving. I never knew she cared that much. Jasper had been dignified, perhaps the most out of all of them. He shook our hands, waved good bye from the porch and let us speed away. Alice, Alice I had promised to talk to at every available chance just so I could get in the car and leave.

Perhaps I'm not giving Carlisle his due. He didn't cry like Esme and Alice. But he wasn't as poised or distant as Jasper and Rose. Carlisle, once we were done saying we couldn't stay didn't fight to keep us. He simply went into his study and brought out a tiny cell phone. It was similar to all of theirs that I had seen over the years.

"To keep in contact," he said, pressing it firmly into my palm. I would have to find a battery charger, which would be its own battle, but I nodded accepting it as graciously as I could. I would always hate accepting gifts.

Even though the Cullens tried to make me feel like I was family, I would never feel like one of them again. They had lost that privilege years ago and I had grown my own family in that time span. The Winchesters looked out for me, loved me, hated me, and made fun of me. There was nothing else I could really need that the Cullens would give. Sure, I would try and keep in touch with them, and that's all I can say: try.

Besides, they were ready for our next hunt and I just wanted to recuperate in peace and quiet and not dwell on the loss and pain that had come with being in Forks again. This had been my worst hunt to date. Almost dying and I got an arm and a leg broken. Crummy luck if you ask me.

The phone was in the dash. I hadn't turned it on yet. I didn't want to call until it was absolutely necessary. Especially since the charger didn't exist yet. For the Cullens the cell phone whether expensive or not was a thing that was expendable. I could use it for years and they would throw it away the month after they got it because they were too hard on it and crushed it while playing/wrestling. Or perhaps they were in a fight. So many reasons as to why they would get rid of their phones. Rose would get rid of it just because it didn't match her outfit. Rose, oh Rose. She was such a girl.

Dean and I had cemented our relationship and not in the physical way. _That_, we had already done. This was more, admitting to be each others boyfriend and girlfriend sort of stuff. He put up with me, and I would put up with him.

I smiled as I thought of it. Dean had almost seriously lost me, and it only made him realize that he wanted me around for good. No ifs, no buts, I was his for the rest of our very short lives.

Sam was taking a seat in the back, his head rolled back as he slept. Our destination was unknown at this point. We simply drove across the country, enjoying the road between our tires. They wanted to hunt, I wanted a vacation, and I had promised myself one as soon as this past hunt was over. I glanced over at Dean, his face finally relaxed as I pulled his rough hand into mine.

"What you smiling about Bells?" his eyes scrunching at the corners as he squeezed my hand in his.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Just happy we're together." I breathed in deeply, my nose puckering as I smelled something pungent. "Dean, did we hit a dead animal?"

"Nah," he said a chuckle in his voice. "Why?"

"Are you wearing some cologne or something?" I put my other hand over my nose, waving it away as I tried to ignore the smell.

"Nope. Just me." His grin grew even broader, we went over a pothole and my nausea hit an all time high.

"Dean, pull over."

"Why?" His smile faded.

"Just do it." I was holding it back with all my strength at this point. Whatever I had eaten in the past day was ready to come up and meet whatever surface was underneath me. Dean pulled over to the side of the road.

I threw open the door and scrambled out onto the black pavement underneath, upchucking everything my stomach couldn't muster.

"Don't get it on my baby." Dean yelled through the open door.

Sam still slept soundly, his nap uninterrupted by my yakking.

"Thanks, Dean," I muttered, as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Gross. There was now some of it on my hand. I had been having issues like this lately. Dean slept through it in the early morning somehow. He was a light sleeper but recently he didn't wake up for anything, perhaps because I tired him out as much as I did since my casts had both come off in almost record time for me. Smirk at that. But I didn't really feel like smiling anymore.

Stepping back into the car, I sat in the leather seat. My thoughts running at high speed. When was the last time… oh no.

I shuddered.

"Dean," I whispered, underneath the music.

"Yeah?" he had still heard me.

"Dean, I'm…"

"What Bells?"

I turned to look him in his green eyes. He hadn't started the car yet, which was definitely a blessing at this moment. I put my hand on his which was on the shift gear. "I might be pregnant." I squeezed his hand.

He simply sat there, his eyes wide as bowls as he started to digest it.

"Wow."

**A/n: Perhaps a sequel when I have time in the near future.**


	31. Sequel finally

Hey I just thought I would tell everyone that wanted it that I've started a new story, the continuation of Starting Over called Starting Again, in case you're alerted for this story and … yeah. Just thought I would warn. Enjoy your life!


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